


Ragnarok

by traveling_classicist



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ragnarok - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Trigger Warning: Homelessness, Trigger Warning: Mentions of alcoholism, Trigger Warning: Mentions of drug abuse, Trigger Warning: Psychosis, Trigger warning: mentions of rape, trigger warning: PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22580074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traveling_classicist/pseuds/traveling_classicist
Summary: From an imagine originally posted on the Tumblr page imagine-loki:Imagine you take care of Odin when he was homeless on Midgard (based on the deleted scene from Ragnarok). You take him in and listen his crazy stories about Asgard and Thor thinking he’s just some crazy hobo who needs help. Then one day, Thor and Loki break into your apartment looking for their father. Hela returns in your living room and insanity ensues.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 41





	1. King of the Dumpsters

**Chapter 1: King of the Dumpsters**

Theo jockeyed through the crowd of pedestrians on the sidewalk. She had a skip in her step. She was finally ready. After Jacob moved out and she cleaned everything up in her apartment, she was finally ready for a new roommate and she knew just the man. As she reached Hell’s Kitchen, she started looking down the side streets and alleys, looking for him. This is where he liked to hang out. With Times Square and Broadway so close by, there were plenty of generous tourists to give him money or leftovers or even the occasional beer.

She was beginning to worry as she walked further down the streets. She hadn’t seen him yet or any pedestrians running away screaming, which was often a good sign he was nearby. She hoped he hadn’t been picked up again. The poor guy did not need to spend another night in jail. Sometimes this city was so cruel to its people, even the most unfortunate of them. Mostly the most unfortunate of them. She glanced down an alleyway and was relieved to find him digging through a dumpster. She walked towards him.

“Finding anything of use, today?” she asked. He was halfway in the dumpster, only legs sticking out. He jumped when she spoke and fell into the dumpster.

“Go away! This is the domain of Odin, King of the Dumpsters!” the old man shouted, his voice echoed in the dumpster. Theo walked closer. Standing on her tippy toes, she looked inside. She ducked just in time as a half empty bottle of whiskey sailed past her head. She crouched down beside the dumpster, putting her hands up to cover her face, as it slammed into the brick wall behind her, shattering and spraying whiskey all over her.

“Odin! Geez, you could’ve hit me!” she shouted at him. “It’s me, Theo! We talked about this; you can’t throw things at people. Wait, did you say, King of the Dumpsters?” Theo said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Mimir told me to use it. He said it was fitting,” he said, rising up from inside the dumpster. He wore a tattered red jacket and layers of stinky, dirty clothes. He wore the hat she had given him. His eye was still covered in grimy bandages. His breath stank of alcohol again. “You interrupted me, Theo. I was attending to very important, kingly, business.”

Theo’s expression fell flat. “In the dumpsters?”

“You don’t understand, girl. I have a kingdom to run.”

“Is that right?”

“I thought perhaps you might be the Einherjar. That’s the last thing I need is them, hauling me off to the prisons again.”

“You mean the police?”

“Oh, yes, that’s what you call them.”

“Come on, you crazy old fart, you’re coming with me today,” she said, trying to help him out of the dumpster.

“Oh, no! I’ve got a full day ahead of me. I’m meeting with the council on 47th street,” he said, turning around in the rubbish, looking for something.

“Is that right?”

“Yes. They need to know that the streets of Asgard are becoming very dirty. Look at all this rubbish! Can hardly walk anywhere.”

“Right. Well, you are in a dumpster—”

“And then, Mimir was telling me about the kitchens on 45th street. Apparently, they’re dumping a lot of good food out in their dumpsters. But I must stay away from that Thai food this time. Just like Vanir cuisine, that is. All those spices. Burns just as hot coming out the other end!”

“I don’t need to know that—”

“And then, my son is supposed to be coming soon. You know, I’ve told you. Thor? He’s coming to get me.”

“Odin, please,” she said.

“No! No! I know he is this time. I can feel it. That or the leftover curry I had last night. I can never tell the difference,” he said, rubbing his belly.

“I think it’s probably the curry. Will you please just come with me?” she pleaded.

“No, no, no. I’m busy. A king is always busy. Busy, busy, busy.”

“Yes, I know but there’s a Nor’easter coming in tonight, and I don’t want you out here in it. Please, come back to my place. I have a free room now.”

“Woman, I’m fine! Look,” he said, nimbly hopping out of the dumpster to Theo’s surprise. He walked to a stolen shopping cart and pulled out the sleeping bag she had given him months ago. “I have the blanket you brought me and the coat and the gloves and the hat and the scarf and the boots,” he said, pointing to each item in turn. “I’m sure I’m ready for any weather Midgard can throw at me.”

“No, Odin. Those are good for when it’s cold like this, but it’s going to get worse tonight. The shelters are already full, and I knew you wouldn’t go to one. Jacob’s moved out now. He got a job as a janitor and his own place in Jersey, so the room’s free now. Please, come with me.”

He looked up at her with his single, blue eye. He seemed to look right through her at the brick wall.

“Please?” she said, with a smile. A smile crept across his face.

“Theo! It’s good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too,” she said, pretending he had not just forgotten their conversation. “Odin, I have a free room now. It’s yours, okay, come on!”

“A room? Oh, you mean chambers!”

“Yes, chambers! And their all yours. Come on!” She quickly took his hand before he could change his mind and led him out of the alley. They walked a few blocks, Theo making sure Odin stayed right with her.

They passed shop windows and brightly lit theaters, restaurants lined with diners and cafes teeming with hipsters. Odin looked inside each window as if searching for someone. Theo took his arm to keep control of him. He turned to her and frowned.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to my apartment, remember? I’ve got your chambers all set up for you.”

“Oh, no, no, no. I’m very busy today,” he said, pulling away from her. “I have to wait for Thor, that’s what the Doctor said. ‘Wait for Thor,’ he said. And I have to meet with the council to discuss these filthy streets. And—”

“I’ve canceled your plans; you need a bath,” she cut him off before he could come up with some other excuse.

“I had a bath yesterday,” he said, folding his arms like a child reporting to his mother.

“Which yesterday?”

He shook his head a moment. “Oh, a few yesterdays ago. I can’t remember.”

“Alright, so you need one. And you need a good meal that’s apparently not Thai or Indian,” she said, taking his arm again and continuing up the street.

“Oh, and beer! Do you have any beer?”

She frowned at him. She knew he had an alcohol abuse problem that she did not want to encourage. She didn’t really blame him after everything that had happened to him. Abandoned by his family and the nursing home that had been caring for him, he had nothing else to turn to; no one else to turn to. Until she had met him, that is.

“I may have a little bit of beer at home but there’s some rules, so you’ll have to wait.”

“Oh, alright,” he said, gruffly.

They continued up 8th Ave towards the park. The air was cold, and the wind nipped at their faces. The storm was set to hit them that evening, so Theo knew she needed to get Odin settled quickly.

“Oh, look, a park,” Odin said.

Theo couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s Central Park.”

“How quaint. You know, I love the way you Midgardians rope off nature like this. Build up all around it like you’ve conquered your little world and made it yours.”

“You don’t get out of Hell’s Kitchen much, do you?”

“You mean ‘Hela’s Kitchen’. I was waiting for my son there.”

Theo smiled and shook her head. Odin was known around the streets as the crazy hobo god. He thought he was the Norse king of the gods. He always talked about Asgard and Midgard and his son, Thor. Like the Avenger Thor. No one believed him, of course. The poor old man was suffering terribly from dementia and probably schizophrenia as well. Theo had caught him several times talking to the air, speaking to someone called Frigga.

They cut across the park, taking some winding trails past ponds and huge trees and massive rocks. Odin looked around as if dazed.

“This doesn’t look like the city?” he said.

“We’re still in the city, silly. We just cut across the park. Central Park, remember? We’re going to my house.”

“You live in here? In the woods?”

“No!” she said, laughing and taking his arm. “I live on the other side of the park! Over there, see that’s the Met, I’m across the street and down a ways.”

“Oh, I was beginning to question your choice of a homestead.”

“You are so funny.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever described me that way.”

“Well, they’re clearly mistaken.”

They crossed in front of the Met Museum and walked down the street. The buzz of 5th Ave faded behind them, as they crossed into a quieter neighborhood. Quieter for New York, at least. Theo unlocked the front door of her apartment block and peeked inside. Her landlord didn’t like to see non-tenants in the building and he definitely didn’t like Theo’s homeless friends. Determining that the coast was clear, Theo led him inside.

“Why are we sneaking?” Odin whispered, harshly.

Theo snickered. “We have to steer clear of my landlord.”

“Oh, very well.”

She pressed the button for the elevator and waited. When it came to the ground floor, the doors opened smoothly, revealing her sleek-looking landlord, Alex. Her heart sank. Now, she was going to hear it.

Alex looked at her with contempt and then raised a brow at Odin.

“Bringing your little friends back again, Theo? You know, we talked about this. I’ll have to put another strike on your—”

Theo interrupted, “This isn’t one of my ‘little friends’. This is… my dad.”

“Your… dad?”

“Pleased to meet you, my lord,” Odin said, extending his hand.

Alex recoiled a little. “Eh, hi. How long will he be staying?”

“Well, that’s not really any of your business, now is it?” Theo said, glaring at the tuxedoed hipster. “You’re a landlord of an apartment block, not the manager of a hotel. May we get on, please?”

“Just make sure he doesn’t bother anybody,” Alex said.

Theo rolled her eyes and pushed past him, leading Odin in by his hand. Alex stepped off the elevator and watched them as the doors closed. Once they were closed, Theo flipped him off.

“Well, that’s very rude, young lady. He seemed like a nice young man,” Odin said. “He’d be a very good match for you, I think.”

“Pfft. I don’t think so. Guy’s a prick,” Theo sighed. “And if he knew who you were, he’d kick you out on the streets in this storm without another thought.”

“Well then, he is clearly very skilled in illusion, because I thought he was quite nice. You know, my other son is good at magic.”

“You mean Loki?” Theo asked, shuddering a little at the thought of the man that had caused her so much grief.

“Mmm. He was a strange boy but a good sorcerer. He had Frigga to thank for that. She loved him so much.”

“Right,” Theo said, rather shortly. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but she did not want to talk about Loki, even the fake one Odin liked to talk about. She had assumed he was another who was traumatized by the Battle of New York. Traumatized to insanity.

The doors opened onto the 14th floor and they stepped out. The hallway was pristine and white, radiating a modern architectural aesthetic. Theo led him to her apartment.

“Okay, so we live in apartment number 1414. See?” She pointed to the number on the door.

“One thousand four hundred and fourteen people live here? It looks so small.”

“Welcome to New York,” Theo said, opening the door. Her apartment was as crisp and clean as the hallway. Wooden floors gave way to sleek, white walls and gray concrete. A great wall of windows gave them a lovely view above the surrounding buildings and just a bit of the park. She had house plants lined up on shelves along the windows. A small table and chairs took up one side, while a petite kitchen took up the other. The living room was made up of a couch and a few armchairs surrounding a coffee table. One whole wall was lined with a great, black bookshelf that stood from floor to ceiling, packed full with books.

“Come on in,” she said to Odin.

“Well, this is very humble,” he said, looking around with a smile.

“Beats sleeping out in the cold.”

He took her arm, gently. “Thank you, Theo.”

She smiled at him. “You’re welcome. Come on, let’s get you settled in.”

She walked over to the kitchen and opened a cupboard. It was lined with boxes and cups filled with various toiletries in neat packaging. She pulled out a toothbrush and a little tube of toothpaste, along with some hotel-sized shampoo and conditioner bottles and a bar of soap.

“Let’s see, here’s some shower stuff. There’s a towel and washcloth in there already. Here’s a toothbrush and toothpaste. Do you want to shave?”

“Shave? This beard? What would people swear to, then? They can’t say ‘By Odin’s Beard!’ if Odin has no beard!”

“Alright, alright! No razor, then. Geez, men are so possessive of their facial hair. Here, at least take a comb and comb it out. Your hair, too.” He took the comb and toiletries and grumbled to himself. “Wait, wait! Don’t go yet! I’ve got new clothes for you too. Hold on.”

She ran to a closet by the door and pulled out a shopping bag. She gave it to Odin. He stared inside for a moment and then looked up at her with a tear in his eye.

“Oh, now don’t do that, or I’ll start crying,” she said, trying to choke back tears.

“Why are you doing this for me? A mad old man in the streets.”

“Because you’re my friend.”

He looked down at his feet. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“Oh, that’s nonsense. Go on, go shower so you’ll feel better. Second door on the left.” She pointed down a hallway that led away from the dining room table. He shuffled off and closed the door. A few moments later, Theo heard the shower turn on.

“Phew,” she sighed. She’d finally gotten him to come with her. It wasn’t the first time she had offered Odin her spare room. Practically every time it became available, she would go to him first. He always gave an excuse about going to some council meeting or going to observe the kingdom or the armory or the weapons vault or whatever crazy excuse he could come up with. She just chalked it up to his age. People of his generation were so stubborn when it came to accepting help from others.

She had bailed him out several times after he had been picked up for public intoxication or aggressive behavior or petty theft from dumpsters. The police had no other contact on file for him, so they normally just called her to pick him up. He was a drunk, sad, old man. She felt bad for him.

She turned to the kitchen and started pulling out pots and pans to make dinner. The skies were starting to darken, and tiny snowflakes were beginning to fall. She wished she had more rooms to take more people in. She had been doing this for a couple years now and had helped many people get back on their feet or find help. But when winter came, she always felt bad for not being able to do more.

After a while, the shower stopped, and Odin emerged in his new clothes. Theo had gotten him a few outfits: a flannel button down and some jeans, some sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and a nicer button down and slacks. He came out in the flannel and jeans.

She smiled at him. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” he said. He had combed his hair and beard. They were a much purer white now than the gray they had become with the grime. He was still wearing those filthy bandages over his eye.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. Take off those old bandages. I have an eyepatch for you.” She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a black eyepatch from a pharmaceutical bag. “Here,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thank you.”

“Is that a recent injury, Odin? Every time I’ve seen you, you’ve had those on but has anyone ever looked at it?”

“Oh, this old thing is centuries old. I received it far before your ancestors even thought of sailing to this land.”

“Right, well, let me look at it anyways.”

“No, it’s very ugly. You wouldn’t want to see it.”

“Odin, please. I’ve worked in an ER before. Believe me, I’ve seen a lot worse.”

“Are you a healer?”

“Ha, no. I just admitted people, but I learned a lot there from the nurses and doctors, so please, just let me look.”

He removed the bandages, revealing a jagged scar across where his eye had once been. The eye was long gone but the hole it left was expertly sealed. Theo examined it. She was surprised with how precise the surgery to the eye was. She hadn’t really seen anything like it but then again, she was no MD. It was clean and well healed and that’s what mattered.

“Alright, well try this on. I had one leftover from a while back. I think it adjusts.”

He pulled the strap over his head. “Why did you have a leftover eyepatch?”

“I got in a fight at the bar… with a door.”

“Did you win?”

“You should see the door,” she said, laughing.

“Ha! Well done!”

They laughed for a bit before Theo returned to the kitchen counter.

“What are you hungry for?” she asked. “I was thinking chicken and steamed veggies. How does that sound? No Thai. No curry.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Theo cooked up the chicken and vegetables while Odin sat at the kitchen table and watched the storm move in. She plated their meal and served it to him, setting her plate down across from him. She returned to the cupboards for two glasses and poured them some water from the tap. She sat down across from Odin and started eating.

“Do you have any beer?” he asked, looking at the water.

She knew the question would come eventually. She was hoping that if she served him the water, he would drink it and not think about the beer.

“Why don’t you drink the water first, and eat, and then we can see if you’re still up for a drink.”

He nodded, though a bit disappointed. What sort of meal was served with water instead of beer or wine or mead? But, not wanting to seem rude, as he was her guest, after all, he nodded and ate. They ate quietly and listened as the wind began to pick up through the tall buildings.

“I’m really glad you decided to come with me, Odin. I was so worried you’d be stuck out in this. People die in storms like this, you know. I want you to stay here. You can stay as long as you need to.”

“That is very gracious of you, Lady Theo, but I know that Thor is coming for me soon.”

“Okay, well, in the meantime, I want you to stay here.”

He nodded at his finished plate. “Do you have any beer?”

Theo sighed. “Alright, you get one glass, okay.” She walked to the refrigerator and opened a can of Bud Light and poured it into a glass.”

She brought it over to him and he drank. He made a sour face and put the glass down. “Why don’t you people make good beer?”

“Well, that’s what I have, so.” He shrugged and drank the rest in one gulp. “We do need to go over some house rules, though, okay?” she said.

“Yes,” he said, giving his full attention to her.

“Rule number one: Don’t steal from me. That includes food and booze and anything else in this apartment. I do this because you’re my friend, but I won’t be taken advantage of.”

“Of course,” he replied.

“Rule number two: Don’t invite any friends over. My landlord looks for every excuse to boot me out of here and if you bring someone over, he’ll kick us both out on the streets.”

He nodded his agreement.

“Rule number three: No drugs. I know you have an alcohol problem and I’m happy to help you work on it, but drugs are a no-no in this house.”

“You won’t have to worry about it,” he said. “Wait, an alcohol problem? I don’t have an alcohol problem!”

“Odin, you told me you were the king of the dumpsters today with a half empty bottle of whiskey in your hand, which you then threw at me.”

“I found it like that,” he said, folding his arms. “And you startled me.”

“Right, well, we’re going to work on that.”

“Do you have any whiskey?”

“No,” she said, firmly.

“Mmm,” he grumbled.

Theo felt strange being so firm with him. Normally, when she invited a friend to live with her, it was their choice. When they accepted her help, they accepted her full help, which normally meant getting clean or sober and getting back on their feet again, regardless of their complaints or withdrawals. She helped them manage themselves and that was part of the deal. Since it was their choice, she didn’t feel bad being firm with them, but Odin never wanted to accept her help. Even still, he had come with her this time.

“Rule number four: Clean up after yourself. I’m a friend, not a maid.”

“You don’t have any servants?”

“No, Odin, I don’t have servants. Cleaning up after yourself builds character, just do it.”

He shrugged.

“Rule number five: No weapons in my house. No guns, no knives, no bludgeons, no nothing. Understand?

“Yes. Oh, what about staves?”

“No. No staves either.”

“Mmm,” he grumbled again.

“Understand?”

“Fine.”

“Rule number six: My room is off limits. You can go anywhere else in this apartment but do not go into my room. That’s my space. If I’m here, and you need something, feel free to knock just don’t let yourself in. Just common courtesy, you know?”

“Seems fair,” he said.

“And I’ll respect your space as well. Just remember that rule number four applies to your room too.”

“Very well, what else?”

“Rule number seven: I’m putting my trust in you because I know you’re a good person. I just ask that you put your trust in me to help you.”

“That’s not a rule,” he said, smiling.

“No, but I would really like if you follow it.”

“I trust you, Lady Theo.”

“It’s just Theo, no ‘Lady’, please.”

“Very well.”

“That’s really all I have. I just want you to respect me and this house, to be honest. And I want you to be safe and off the streets.”

“I will accept your rules and agree to them. You are a very kind young woman, Theo. I am truly grateful to you.”

The wind whistled past the window outside, blowing thick flurries of snow against the windows. Odin watched somberly.

“Do you think my sons will come for me?” he asked after a while.

“Oh, Odin. I’m sure they will,” Theo said. She didn’t really believe it herself, but he seemed so saddened by the thought of being abandoned. “Do you have a way to contact them?”

“No. Not anymore,” he said.

“I’m sorry. Well, I’ll keep on the lookout for them. See if there’s anyone asking around for you. I’ll call my friends too and see if they know anything. In the meantime, we’ll wait here, okay?”

“Very well.”

When they were done eating, Theo cleared the table. After the servants comment, she thought Odin may have some trouble with rule number four. He watched her as she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and washed out the pans she had cooked with. It was his first night here, so she didn’t care that much.

“Here, I’ll show you to your room, I mean, chambers,” she said, smiling at the way she had to talk to him.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” he said, standing.

She walked down the hall and pointed into the first room.

“This one is yours. There’s a bed and a desk and a lamp. The wifi is written down there on the bulleting board but I don’t think you have a phone, do you?”

“What’s a phone?”

“Right, well, don’t worry about that, then. Feel free to get settled in. I’ll be up for a while. You’re welcome to peruse the bookshelf in the living room if you want to read. I don’t have a tv though, I hope that’s alright.

“What’s a tv?” he asked.

She laughed. “Well, then don’t worry about that either. If you like to read, let me know. We can get you set up with a card at the library too.”

“Oh, that would be very nice. You know, I used to have my own library?”

“Did you?” she asked, folding her arms and leaning up against the doorframe.

“Yes, it was massive and marvelous. There were books from all nine of the realms there. Even yours.”

“Is that so? Sounds wonderful. Anything good from little old Midgard?”

“Well, I know your people are in love with that Shakespeare fellow but I rather preferred Sun Tzu.”

“You mean, _The Art of War_?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good classic too. You didn’t like Shakespeare?”

“No, blah!” he said, sticking his tongue out. “Never cared too much for plays, myself. My queen did, though. She went to plays with our son, Loki, all the time.”

“Ah, well, I guess Shakespeare’s not for everyone. Anyways, feel free to look over my little library. It may not be as great as yours was but it’s got some good ones in there, I think.

“Oh, yeah. My room is down there at the end of the hall,” she said, pointing back across the living down the other hallway. “Linens are in this closet, here, but I’ve put fresh ones on your bed already. I think that’s everything. It’s a pretty small apartment. Especially, for how much I pay for it. But it’s cozy and warm.”

“Thank you, Theo,” he said. She could tell he was very grateful. His whole demeanor had changed. He seemed more content than the man that had thrown a whiskey bottle at her head a few hours ago. Maybe giving him a glass of alcohol a night would help him stabilize. She had heard of therapy for alcoholics that utilized that method.

She left him and walked to her room. Quietly, she closed the door behind her and undressed, getting into her pajamas. She sat on the bed for a while and answered emails on her laptop. The wind howled at the window. She closed her eyes.

She hated these storms. They reminded her of all the storms she had spent out on the street. She would never wish that on another person but she knew there were people out there now. She only hoped they had found somewhere warm to spend the night.


	2. The Good Doctor

The next morning, Theo was woken harshly by a pounding on her bedroom door.

“Theo! Theo! Get up! The frost giants are attacking Midgard again! I must call upon the armies of Asgard to help!”

Theo groaned as she sat up. She rubbed her face as Odin continued to pound on the door. “Theo, you must get up now!” At least he wasn’t violating rule number six.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming,” she said yawning. She opened the door and Odin grabbed her arms and whisked her down the hallway. “Odin, stop! You’re hurting me!”

He loosened his grip as they reached the kitchen. He pointed out the window to the snow that had piled up outside.

“Look, there, they must have attacked in the night. Thor must be in trouble if they were able to take back the Casket of Ancient Winters. I must return to Asgard to help. Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!” he shouted.

“No, no. It’s too early for shouting,” Theo said, sleepily, putting her hand on Odin’s shoulder. “Odin, there are no frost giants attacking. It’s just the snow from the storm last night, remember?”

“The storm?” he said. He looked down, trying to remember.

“Mmm-hmm. Looks like it was one hell of a storm too. There’s probably two feet of snow down there.”

“Hela?” he muttered. He put his hands on his head and rocked back and forth a moment.

“Are you alright, Odin?” Theo asked, seeing his distress.

“I need to remember but I can’t,” he said, pounding his head with his fists.

“Oh, don’t do that. It’s alright. Here, just sit down a moment. I’ll make you some breakfast. How do bagels sound?”

“Breakfast?” he asked.

“Yeah! I’m going to make a bagel. I’ve got plain, blueberry, sesame seed, marble. What would you like?”

He was breathing hard and seemed confused. “I don’t know,” he said.

“I know, I just gave you a lot of choices there. You can never go wrong with a plain bagel and some cream cheese, though,” she said as she popped two bagels into the toaster. She put on some coffee and walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

“I’m sorry, Theo,” he said. “I am an old man and a fool.”

“Oh, no you’re not. Well, maybe you’re a little old, but you’re not a fool. Didn’t you tell me once you were fifty centuries old?”

“Yes, yes, I think I am,” he said, seeming to calm down.

“Well, sir, you’re older than dirt. Almost as old as the pyramids. I bet you’ve seen a lot in your time,” Theo joked with him.

He looked down, solemnly. “I have.”

The toaster popped. Theo made up his bagel, a banana, and a cup of coffee for him. “Here, have something to eat. It’ll cheer you up. You know I’m just joking with you, right? I don’t think you’re older than dirt,” she said, worried about his sudden solemnity. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“Yes, I know,” he said. He seemed suddenly weak.

“If you’re still hungry later, I can make you up some eggs or maybe some bacon, if you’re up for it. Just let me know.”

“Alright,” he said and ate slowly.

Theo checked her emails again. She worked from home as a social media manager for several large tech businesses in New York, including Stark Industries. She enjoyed being able to work from the comfort of her apartment. She didn’t do well in office environments.

“Odin, I need to get a bit of work done today, so I’ll be in my room for a few hours, but the door will be open if you need anything, okay? Just give a holler,” she said.

“Work? What sort of work do you do, Theo?” he asked, seeming to come out of his funk.

“Oh, well I work for a few big companies here in New York. I just manage their social media presence, keep an eye on their analytics, marketing, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, is there any fighting involved?”

“Fighting? Good Lord, no! Well, not the physical kind.”

“What is your preferred weapon?”

“Odin, I don’t have a preferred weapon!” Theo said, laughing, though a bit unnerved by his questions.

“Oh, come now, sure you do! A strong lady such as yourself. My son loves the warhammer. Melee weapons are his specialty. Mine too, you know. I think he got that from me. My other son prefers magic and long-distance weapons but he’s still rather skilled, I suppose. He got that from his mother, of course.”

“Ah,” Theo mused, trying to entertain his fantasies while she answered emails on her phone.

“I apologize about all that business with the frost giants, earlier,” he said.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Odin. No harm done,” Theo said.

“I am always concerned they will one day rise again. Especially, after what Loki did to them.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Theo muttered, mouth full of bagel. She swallowed her last bite. “Odin, I’m going to go get some work done now. In my room. Why don’t you have a seat on the couch and read through a book? There are all kinds, like I said. Have your pick and if you need anything, I’ll be just down the hall, okay?”

“Yes, alright,” he said, seeming rather agreeable, again.

Theo sighed, feeling she could get some work done while he read. She went back to her room and opened her laptop. It was quiet and peaceful in the apartment for about ten minutes before Odin wandered into Theo’s room.

“Your chambers are very untidy,” he said, spooking Theo from her work.

“Odin!” she cried. “Rule number six, Odin! Please, at least knock first! Don’t sneak up on me, please!”

“Theo! I need to visit the Doctor, so I’ll be going now.”

“The doctor? What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

“Sick? Oh no! I’m not a human, remember. I don’t get sick like you do. I’m going to visit the Doctor to see if he’s found out anything about Thor.”

“Is this that magician doctor you were telling me about?” Theo asked. She was not amused. Odin had told her about some crackpot ‘doctor’ he had found on Bleecker Street spouting all kinds of nonsense to him. She thought he was some nutjob crystal healer after Odin once told her he was talking about these infinity stones that could solve all the universes problems or destroy it.

Theo thought he was just another asshole looking to take advantage of an old man. What sort of medical doctor allowed an old man to go homeless after being turned out on the street by a defunct nursing home? Surely, there was something he could have done.

“Yes, Strange.”

“Yes, he is strange. Odin, it’s freezing outside, and I doubt the streets are even clear yet. Can we wait til after lunch at least?”

“Oh, alright. Can I have some whiskey?”

“I don’t have whiskey. You can have water, though.”

He grumbled and walked out of her room. She sighed and put her hands on her temples. She rolled her eyes and went back to work. She rushed through to get everything done in time to take Odin out. She did not want him going out alone. The last thing she needed was him getting lost or forgetting that he was living with her now or worse, being taken advantage of.

She hoped that by the time she finished and made him lunch, he would have forgotten about seeing his crazy doctor friend. She really did not want to go all the way downtown to see this bastard in the freezing cold.

When she had finished her work a few hours later, she emerged from room to see Odin sitting at the kitchen table with a book in his hands. His eye flitted across the pages as he read. She smiled at him.

“What are we reading?”

“ _Norse Mythology_ by this, this Neil Gaiman. Do you people really believe all this nonsense about us?”

“Ha! Well, I suppose there are still some people that believe in the Norse gods. And that is, of course, a work of fiction based on the old Norse myths. Why? Is some of that a little fantastical?”

“It’s rubbish! Is this actually popular?”

“I suppose, so. It must be, you’re nearly all the way through it!” Theo said, pointing at the book and laughing. Odin shook his head and continued reading. “What would you like to eat? I’ve got some cold cuts; we can make some sandwiches.”

“Yes, yes, that sounds fine. And maybe some beer?”

Theo rolled her eyes as she walked to the kitchen and pulled out some bread and meat and cheese for sandwiches. At least, he wasn’t asking to see that doctor anymore. She made him a sandwich and grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry.

“What if I made you some tea, instead of beer?”

“Meh, I don’t drink tea,” he grunted as she set the plate in front of him.

“Alright, well what about soda or juice or coffee or anything else?”

“What about mead? Do you have any mead?”

“Wha--? Mead? Are you some hipster brewer now?” Theo laughed. “No, I don’t have mead.”

“What sort of place are you running here? No mead?” he laughed.

“Not a hotel, you silly old fart.”

“I am not a fart, young lady,” he said.

“Sorry, my liege,” she mocked a curtsy.

“You should work on that, you know,” he retorted.

“Bite me.”

“You know, you remind me so much of my beautiful wife. She had such fire in her. I think,” he laughed to himself. “I think she passed a bit of it along to both our sons. Oh, I love her so much.”

“Aww,” Theo said. “She sounds lovely.”

“Oh, she is,” Odin said. “I wish you could meet her. She likes you a lot.”

“Does she?” Theo knew that his wife had passed away a long time ago. He had spoken a few times about her. “Is that Frigga?”

“Yes, she thinks you’re very kind for taking care of an old fart like me… Agh, woman! I am not an old fart!”

Theo could not help but sputter and laugh at Odin’s outburst. She wondered if she’d ever get tired of his weird fantasies. When she was young, she remembered her grandpa had had dementia when he was Odin’s age. He thought he was a fighter pilot in the Great War, dropping ‘bombs’ on his neighbors in the retirement home. The ‘bombs’ normally being unsolicited farts on little old ladies and grumpy old men.

During his time there, before he died, Theo had gotten used to her grandpa’s wacky stories, some of which she thought had some truth to them. He had been a fighter pilot in World War II, and he had dropped many actual bombs on people. Some of those stories he remembered rather vividly, like Odin remembered his sons and his wife.

“Well, you tell Frigga, you’re in good hands,” she replied.

She meant it. She had been preparing to take Odin in for months, even while she was helping Jacob and Emily before him. She was prepared to have Odin stay with her until… well, until the end. She wanted him to have a happy rest of his life. Not living out on the streets anymore.

“You’re a good lass, Theo,” Odin said. “Your parents are lucky.”

“Pfft, don’t tell them that,” Theo said, immediately wishing she hadn’t.

Odin looked at her questioningly. “Why not?”

“Oh, well, um, my parents and I don’t really talk anymore. They don’t want me in their life anymore. At all.”

Odin shook his head in disbelief. “Why not?”

“Um, that’s a good question,” Theo said, laughing to cover how uncomfortable she was by the topic. “We fell out a few years ago and haven’t spoken ever since. They sort of disowned me. They didn’t ‘agree’ with the choices I was making, as if they were really my choices. Anyways, we don’t talk anymore. They live upstate. Or at least, I think they still do. I send them birthday cards and Christmas cards and letters every now and then but I never get responses.”

“What sort of parents don’t want their children around?”

“Bad ones,” Theo muttered. She stood and took their plates to the kitchen, trying to end their uncomfortable conversation. She washed the dishes and put them on the rack. Odin sat in silence at the table. When she had finished with the dishes, she returned to the table and sat down.

“Theo?” Odin asked. “Do you think we could go visit the Doctor on Bleecker Street?”

Theo sighed. She looked out the window at the street below. The streets and sidewalks were rather clear now. “This man is a friend of yours?”

“Yes, he’s a good man. He’s very knowledgeable about the happenings of the universe.”

“Mmm-hmm, well, I wouldn’t want you to go by yourself, so let’s go.”

“Are you sure this is the address?” Theo asked, teeth chattering in the cold. She looked up at the old, art deco apartment bloc with the ornate windowpane.

“Yes, this is the one. 177A. He is the Sorcerer Supreme, so be nice,” Odin said, rather chipper even in the cold.

“What is that, like a sandwich?” Theo asked, sarcastically, laughing and rolling her eyes. Odin stepped up to the door and rang the bell.

“Hello, Doctor. It’s me, again. I’ve brought a guest. Please, don’t teleport her into space.”

Theo turned her head slowly to face Odin, staring at him. She shook her head. Hopefully, this crackpot wasn’t home, and they could go home and get some hot chocolate. She wrapped herself up in her long scarf and coat.

The door creaked open and a man appeared. He smiled at Odin.

“Wong, hello, is the Doctor in?” Odin asked eagerly.

“Hello, Odin. Yes, he is upstairs. Come in and I will go get him.”

“Good. This is my friend, Theo. I am her roommate, now.”

“Oh, very good. It is nice to meet you, Theo. My name is Wong,” he said, greeting Theo with a handshake.

Theo shook his hand and smiled. “Hi,” she said.

“Please, come in.”

They both entered the large foyer. In front of them, a grand staircase led up to an upper floor. Wong ascended the stairs and disappeared. There were strange cases filled with artefacts, lining the walls. Theo walked up to one, examining the strange wooden item behind the glass.

“Odin? Is this a museum?” Theo asked him.

“Hmm, I suppose it is, of sorts. Of Midgardian magical artefacts.”

“Magic?” Theo said, skeptically.

“Odin!” A man’s voice rang out from the top of the stairs. He appeared in blue robes with a red cape. Theo raised a brow at him. “I have not heard from nor seen Thor. I’m sorry to disappoint you again. I will come straight to you as soon as I know anything, though. Oh—” the man broke off as he came down the stairs. Wong trailed behind him.

“Ah, Doctor,” Odin began. “This is Theo, she is—”

“Oh, Lord,” the doctor rolled his eyes. “Another drug addict.” He grabbed Theo’s arm.”

“Wha-? Excuse me?” Theo said, in disbelief, trying to pull away but his grip was strong.

“What is it? Heroin? Cocaine? Meth? Let me see,” he said, taking her sleeve.

“Strange!” Wong shouted.

He pulled up her sleeve to reveal the scars of old track marks. Silver dots and lines peppered her skins. Some still purple only just beginning to turn silver with their age. Theo gasped. The room fell eerily silent.

“You know, they all start to look the same, these people—”

The doctor broke off as Theo’s fist connected with his face.

“Get off me!” she shouted, putting as much force as she could into her swing.

He let go of her arm and collapsed onto the floor holding his bloodied nose. Theo was fuming. She ripped down her sleeve. Tears welled in her eyes. Her fists clenched. Her jaw tightened as she tried to find the words to rebuke this revolting piece of trash, excuse for a human at her feet. She wanted to kick him, but she knew she couldn’t.

“You deserved that, Strange,” Wong said. “This young woman has been caring for Odin and you’ve insulted her.”

“Indeed,” Odin butted in. “I’ve never seen such disgusting disregard for personal boundaries and I’m from another Realm. Come, Theo. We should not have come here.” Odin took her arm and started leading her towards the door.

“Wait, Theo,” Wong said, running down the stairs and stepping over the doctor. She did not meet his eyes. “I am truly sorry for Steven’s actions. They were unwarranted. We are very grateful that someone is taking care of Odin.

“We’ve been very worried about him since we realized he was here. He is a very special case, as you surely know. We have tried to get in contact with the Avengers and SHIELD to notify them he is here, but no one is answering us. Steven has been trying to contact Thor, but he is too far for us to reach him.”

“What are you talking about? This man is sick, and you knew and left him out on the streets? What are the Avengers or SHIELD gonna do? Blow him up? Spy on him? He needs care from a real doctor, not some moron with a mail order degree,” Theo spat and walked out the door with Odin. She raced down the sidewalk ahead of Odin until she reached the street. She felt so hot, she might melt the snow around her.

“Theo?” Odin asked. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. She hugged herself, brushing away the tears with the back of her glove. Her breath was hot in the cold air. Her cheeks felt hot and red from the embarrassment and shame she felt. Odin walked up beside her and stood patiently.

“I knew you had a preferred fighting style,” he said. “I just didn’t expect it to be your fists!” He laughed a little. She could tell he was trying to cheer her up. A little smile crept across her face. “Is your hand alright?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied, looking at her reddened knuckles. “It’s fine. I’m sure I’ve had worse. I’m sure I’ve punched worse. That guy’s a real ass, Odin. He wasn’t even nice to you. He was so dismissive. I don’t think he’s looking out for you, I really don’t.”

“Mmm, perhaps you’re right. We won’t be returning here.”

“I’d much rather take you to see a real doctor,” Theo began.

“Oh no, I don’t need a human doctor. I’m not ill. I was just hoping Strange knew something of Thor.”

Theo shook her head. She would work on convincing him to see a doctor some other time, right now she wanted hot chocolate and the biggest chocolate chip cookie New York had to offer.

“Do you like hot chocolate?” she asked Odin.

“What’s that?”

“Oh my God, how can you even live in my house and not know what hot chocolate is? Come on, sir. We are going to get some hot chocolate and cookies.”

They went to Theo’s favorite hot chocolate café. It was, of course, extremely full since the weather outside was frightful but she knew the owner well and the next available table was cleared for them. She ordered her favorite hot chocolate for both of them and a plate of their fresh hot chocolate cookies.

While they waited, she felt tense. She did not want Odin to ask about what had happened. She sighed and looked out the window at the people and cars passing by outside.

“You don’t believe in the gods, do you?” Odin said.

“Hmm? What you mean like the Greek gods or the Norse gods?”

He nodded.

“No. I don’t,” she said. “But to be fair, I don’t believe in any gods. Not the old ones or the ones that are popular now. I don’t believe that there are such things.”

“Well, good. You shouldn’t because there aren’t.”

“Odin. You tell me on an almost daily basis that you’re the king of the Norse pantheon.”

“And I am. But I’m not a god.”

“You don’t make any sense.”

“I am Odin, the King of Asgard. But I am not a god.”

“Okay,” Theo said, thinking it better to agree with him than argue with him.

“Do you not believe in Thor, the Avenger?”

“I know who you’re talking about, yeah.”

“He’s my son,” Odin said.

“I… I…”

“You don’t believe me,” Odin said.

“Odin, I… It’s not that… I just… I find it hard to believe that an Avenger like Thor would put his dad in a home and then forget about him. If all this is true, why aren’t you on Asgard with him?”

Odin looked away, suddenly distraught. “I… I don’t know. I can’t remember,” he said. He put his hands on his head and started to hit himself. Theo jumped up, seeing that she had upset him.

“No, no. It’s alright, Odin,” she said, pulling his hands away from his head. “Don’t do that. It’s alright that you don’t remember right now. It’ll come to you. I’m sorry. Look, here comes our hot chocolate.”

He looked up, seemingly excited about the arrival of this new drink and food. The waiter set it on the table and rushed off to serve the next customer.

“Here,” Theo said, handing Odin his hot chocolate and the biggest chocolate chip cookie on the plate. “Give this a try. I always come here when I’m upset about something or in a bad mood or whatever. Even when it’s sweltering outside. Hot chocolate and cookies always makes me feel better.”

“Does it have alcohol in it?”

“No,” Theo laughed. “It doesn’t need alcohol. It has the next best thing: sugar!”

He took a sip and his eyebrows raised with the taste.

“Uh huh. It’s good, isn’t it?” Theo said. “It’s even better when you dip your cookie in it.” She broke her cookie in half and dunked it into the hot chocolate.

“How old are you, young lady?” Odin asked.

“Does it matter? You’re never too old for hot chocolate and cookies. Doesn’t matter if you’re my age or fifty centuries old.”

“Hmph,” he huffed, looking at his cookie.

Theo smiled. “Well, if you don’t want it, then I’ll have it,” she said, reaching across the table for his cookie.

He pulled away and gave her a steely glare. “No, it’s my cookie,” he said.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

When they had finished their hot chocolate and cookies, they started back towards the subway station. They passed by several shops along the way. Theo was getting cold again and when she was cold, she tended to get tunnel vision. Odin, on the other hand, enjoyed looking into the shop windows. He stopped suddenly, staring in at one of the shops.

At first, Theo didn’t notice and continued walking. When she glanced beside her to see her companion missing, her heart skipped a few beats. She turned around, frantically looking for him over the crowd. She stood on her toes to see over everyone’s heads and found his white hair standing close to a shop window. She pushed back through the busy sidewalk and came to stand next to him.

“What are we looking at?” she asked.

There were several large, professional photographs, hanging in the small, independent gallery. Odin was taken by a beautiful landscape photo. Tall forested mountains with a large body of water beneath.

“Where is this?” Odin asked.

“Mmm,” Theo mused, looking at the photo. “I’m not sure. Looks Scandinavian to me. Like the fjords in Norway. Let’s see, what does this little card say,” she leaned closer to the window to read the display card. “Aw, yes. It was taken in Bergen, Norway.”

“It’s beautiful. I’d like to go there someday,” he said and then lowered his head. “I don’t think I ever will.”

“Oh, don’t say that. It is a beautiful place, though isn’t it. I’d love to go hiking in those mountains. I bet the view from the top is amazing.”

“Mmm,” he said. “It reminds me of home.”


	3. Reunited

**Chapter Three: Reunited**

Several weeks had passed since Odin had come to live with Theo. They had finally settled into a workable routine. Theo was thankful she could finally work in peace for a full day without Odin bursting into her room yelling about frost giants or the helicopter he thought was an attacking dragon or whatever other mundane event triggered his dementia.

He was content, most days, with reading in the living room. Theo had gotten him a library card and they went to the library several times a week to keep him set up with books. Theo thought about getting him involved in book clubs or other social events but thought he might need a little more time before he could be with other people again.

He no longer spoke about the crazy doctor and he did not bring up the incident that Theo had had with him. For which, she was grateful. All in all, he was a good roommate and Theo enjoyed listening to his stories about Asgard and the battles in the Nine Realms. She was concerned by his comments about the Avenger Thor being his son, but she was not sure what to do about them.

She had asked him how long he had been in New York and he could remember being there for about four years. She assumed he had been upset and displaced during the Battle of New York, like herself and so many others had been. She thought, perhaps, this is where his fantasies about Thor and the Avengers had come from. A lot of people had had psychotic breaks after the aliens attacked. New Yorkers could come back from a lot: freak storms, floods, train wrecks, fires, terrorists, spies. But aliens and super heroes proved to be just a little too much for some.

Her attempts to get him to see a real doctor had all come up short. She did not want to force Odin to do something he did not want to do. She still wanted him to have the dignity of being his own person. He was healthy, for the most part, though she had noticed a bit of bodily weakness as of late. She had just chalked it up to the cold weather and old age. She was slowly working on his alcohol habit. He was down to only a few drinks a week now, instead of one a day. She did have to start hiding the booze in her room, though, after she caught him pinching some beer in the middle of the night one night.

She hoped that with a little more time together, he would come to trust her enough to go to a doctor to address his mental state but for now, as he wasn’t hurting himself or anyone else, she was content with him just being content. She enjoyed living with him. She didn’t feel like it was a chore to take care of him. She loved cooking for him and introducing him to new food.

She learned he had something of a sweet tooth so she kept a jar stocked with cookies or brownies or tarts or whatever recipe she could find. He even began checking out cookbooks from the library that had photos of food he thought looked good or familiar.

“Oh, these look like the apple tarts that Idunn used to make for us. Do you think you could make these? Of course, you don’t have golden apples but I’m sure you could find a decent substitute,” he would say.

“Sure! They look easy enough,” Theo would reply. “Check this one out and we’ll drop by the grocery store and pick up the ingredients.”

When they arrived back at her apartment, she unpacked the groceries. To her surprise, Odin came to her side and helped her. He took out the milk and cheese and a few other things and placed them in the refrigerator. She smiled. She’d have to remove the cereal and oatmeal he put in there later but at least he was trying to help.

He placed her cookbook on the island in the kitchen and took the rest of his books to the living room to read. She put on some coffee for him. She had found that he did enjoy a cup of coffee while he read. She set down a mug for him and he thanked her as he pulled out one of his newest books, a book about modern American politics. He went through books very quickly, so he often checked out ten or more books in a single visit. Among them this time were books about the Afghan wars, the Iraqi war, the American revolution, the Civil War, the civil rights movement, another Norse mythology book, and a book about Nordic style knitting.

She returned to the kitchen and started on the recipe for the apple tarts. She started on the dough and made up the apple and cinnamon mixture. She glanced up at Odin and caught him watching her from over the top of her book. When she caught his eye, he quickly looked down at his book again. She smiled and placed the tart crusts in to bake. When they were done, she pulled them out and added the apple mixture on the tarts. When she was finished, she put the tarts back in the oven.

“Okay, those need a little more time and then we can try them out,” Theo said.

“They already smell delightful,” Odin said.

Theo smiled. She enjoyed how happy he had been recently. It was good to see someone who had been so spiteful and angry and confused, be content and happy with life. Even though, he was still rather confused most of the time.

“ _Nordic Style Knitting_?” Theo read, as she picked up one of Odin’s books from the pile on the coffee table.

“Knitting?” he said, taking a closer look. “I thought that said, ‘knighting’. I must be losing my sight.”

“Aw, I thought you were going to pick up a new hobby,” Theo said, a little disappointed. “Knighting? It has a picture of a woman with a knitted sweater on it looking longingly into mid-distance. How did you think this was about knights?”

“Well, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. That’s what the librarian lady always says,” Odin said.

Theo nodded. “Well, I guess that’s true. But if there’s anything about knights in here, be sure to tell me because that would be the plot twist of the century.”

“Hmph, a king does not have time for knitting,” he said.

“Right, well you’re not much of a King of a the Dumpsters now, are you?” Theo said, smiling.

“Well, I suppose I’m not king anymore,” he muttered.

“Are you happy?” she asked. He looked up at her and smiled. His eye shimmered a bit in the light.

“Most of the time,” he said.

She laughed. “Well, that’s the goal, isn’t it?” She leaned over the couch and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be in my room for a bit. I’ll be out when the oven beeps.”

She walked down the hallway to her room and flopped onto her bed, playing on her phone. The apartment filled with the smell of apple tarts. It made her stomach growl in anticipation. She rolled over on her back, phone raised over her face, playing Candy Crush. She completely lost track of time and before long the timer started beeping in the kitchen.

“What is that! Who’s there?” Odin shouted at the oven.

The beeping and Odin’s booming voice made her jump. The phone slipped from her hands and landed like a brick on her face. “Ow,” she groaned as she slumped off her bed to get Odin away from the oven again before he started beating it with her rolling pin.

“Odin, it’s just the timer, remember? Our tarts are done!” she said, removing the rolling pin gently from his hands. She pulled on her oven mits and pulled out the tray. Odin’s hand went straight for one, but Theo smacked it away. He recoiled holding his hand and giving her a sour look.

“Not now, you crazy! They just came out! They’re still hot,” she said.

He frowned at her and grumbled as he stalked to the living room and plopped down on the couch again. She smiled and shook her head. She waited for them to cool before plating a few for him and some for herself and walking into the living room to join him. She set the plate down in front of him. When she looked down at him, he had his hands on his head again like he did when he was upset and frustrated. A book was open in his lap.

“Odin? Are you alright? What’s wrong?” she asked, setting the plate down on the table.

“Asgard is not a place, I know that, but I have to remember,” he said, hitting his head with his palms.

“No, no, we don’t do that, Odin,” Theo said, stopping him. “Just take a deep breath, come on.” She picked up the book from his lap. It was the Norse mythology book. He grabbed it from her and pointed to the page he was on.

“Look, look at her, I know her,” he said, pointing to an illustration of a woman on the page. Theo read the caption, ‘The Goddess of Death, Hela’. She looked up at Odin again. He was clearly in distress.

“It’s alright, Odin, here have a tart, remember? We were excited about these. They smell really good,” she prompted him with the plate, but he shook his head. He was really distressed if food would not bring him out of this.

“They’ve got it all wrong. They’ve got it all wrong! Stupid Midgardians. Not you, Theo! Them!” he said, pointing at the book and fidgeting. “She’ll come back. I do not know when, but it feels soon. Very soon. She will kill me.”

“Odin, no one is going to kill you,” Theo said, coolly, trying to keep a calm tone.

“No, no, she will. It’s been foretold that she will,” he panted.

“Odin, those are just stories. No one is going to kill you. Did you see that guard dog of a landlord I have downstairs? He’s not going to let anyone in that doesn’t live here. I promise, no one is going to kill you.”

“I must speak with my sons. I must speak with them now! I must warn them immediately!” he said. “Asgard is not a place!” He pounded on his head again. “Why won’t they listen! Why can’t I remember!”

“Odin, please, stop! Don’t hurt yourself!” Theo grabbed both his hands and held them. He stared at her. Beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. His eye was bloodshot and glistened with welling tears. Theo sighed.

“Listen. Let me help you. Please,” she pleaded with him, holding his hands. “Take a deep breath.”

“Theo—”

“Shut it! Do as I say,” she snapped.

He sighed and took a deep breath.

“Alright, now let it out.” He did so. “Again,” Theo said, softening her tone now that he was listening to her. She made him take several deep breaths in and out until he was calm. She held his hands so that he could not hit himself.

“Okay, I want you to close your eye and focus on your breathing and make all the other little Odin voices stop talking in your head. Frigga too, if she’s in there,” Theo said. “Sorry, Frigga,” she added, quietly.

“This is silly,” Odin said.

“It’s not silly, just trust me, okay. Rule number seven, remember?” she said. He opened his eye and looked at her.

“Fine,” he grumbled, closing his eye again.

“Good. Sometimes this takes a while. It takes me a while sometimes so just tell me when you have them all shut up.”

She waited for several minutes when finally, Odin said, “Alright.”

“Okay, now let’s think about how this started. You were reading your book and you got to this page about Hela,” Theo said.

“I know her,” he said, quickly.

“Okay, how do you know her? Is she your friend?”

“No, no, no, they have it all wrong here,” he said pointing to the book.

“Alright, alright, well how do you know her? Take a deep breath and think hard about it. Don’t let any of the other voices think over you.”

He closed his eye and scrunched his brow, clearly concentrating hard on this task.

“She… She… is my… daughter,” he whispered. “She is my daughter.” A tear slipped from his eye. Theo looked at him, squeezing his hands. He started breathing hard. His eye flicked around and then up at Theo. “She’s my daughter and I forgot about her. I forgot about her!”

“Oh, Odin,” she said, squeezing his hands. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault,” Theo said, rising up to sit next to him on the couch. She put her arm around him.

He put his face in his hands. His body shook with silent sobs. “I’m a terrible father,” he whispered. “To all my children.”

“Odin, I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is. I’ve done nothing but push them away and lock them up, punish them for who they are, for who I made them to be. They all hate me. They all think I’m mad and foolish. And I am. I’ve been blind to them.” He collapsed into his hands again.

Theo couldn’t help her own tears at seeing him cry. She rubbed his back and squeezed his arm, trying to think of something to help him feel better. She knew that sometimes, when people broke down like this – which many of her former roommates had on this couch – it was often helpful for her just to sit with them and listen.

“I’m sorry, Odin,” she said, softly. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you, but the fact that you realize that you’ve made mistakes may mean that there’s still time for you to fix your relationship with your children; that you can ask for their forgiveness.”

“You don’t understand, girl,” he said, shaking his head. “What I’ve done to Hela, to Loki…the eons of torture and brutality I’ve put them through… there is no conversation that can fix.”

Theo was a little scared by what he was saying now. She wanted to be optimistic for him and supportive, but she had a gut feeling there was something more going on here that Odin was not telling her.

“Well,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “We can only try. For right now, let’s just have a few tarts and try to calm down. Maybe, you can think about what you would want to say to your kids if they were here.”

He sighed. “I would want to tell them I love them,” he said. He wiped away the tears from his face and took a tart.

Theo looked at him sympathetically. She tried not to cry herself as she took a tart too. She took a bite. She was impressed with her baking. They tasted really good, immediately improving her mood.

“Mmm,” Odin muttered. “My sons would love these. Frigga, too. They loved Idunn’s apple tarts.”

“Do I do them any justice? Even without the golden apples?” she said, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“They’ll do,” he said with a little smile. He looked up at her. “Thank you, Theo.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,” she said, standing to get a drink from the kitchen. As she walked, there was a sudden pounding on the door. “Now, who’s that?”

She walked back towards the door, but the pounding got louder. “Hang on! I’m coming!” she said, shoving the rest of the apple tart in her mouth and swallowing it in one bite. She could hear muffled voices outside. There was a loud bang on the door that made Theo jump.

“Hey!” she shouted. “Knock it off!”

There was another bang and the door heaved inwards. Theo jumped back and reached for the coatrack. The door gave one last shudder before shattering into a million pieces across her entryway floor. Theo slammed against the wall beside the coatrack, as two men casually walked into her apartment: Thor, the Avenger and Loki, the alien that attacked New York. She reached into her coat pocket on the coatrack and pulled out a handgun, pointing it at Loki’s head.

“Do not come any closer. What the hell are you doing in my house?” she shouted at them.

“Father!” Thor said, stepping over the broken pieces of door to Odin who was standing by the coffee table.

“Thor! My son!” Odin said, putting his hand on Thor’s cheek. “Oh, my sons! I love you!”

Theo did not take her eyes off Loki, nor the sights of her gun. Her hand was steady, though her heart was racing. He was looking at Odin with brows raised in shock at his adoptive father’s admonition upon their arrival. He looked back at the Theo with her gun pointed at his head. He raised his hands slowly and gave her a gentle look.

“I apologize for my brother murdering your front door,” he said, slowly. “Please, allow me to fix it.”

He waved his hand and the splinters of the door began to reform on the broken hinges. Theo felt a wriggling sensation under her foot. She looked down to see a large chunk of the door wiggling to get free as if pulled by a magnet towards its comrades. She lifted its foot and it replaced itself, making the door whole again.

Loki stepped over to it and tested it, swinging it open and shut. “There, good as new,” he said. Theo still had the gun trained on him. He turned back to her. “Please, put that down. We’re just here for him.” He pointed to Odin with his thumb.

“He… He was telling the truth… All this time? And I thought he was crazy…” Theo said.

“Well, you’re probably not completely wrong. I’m pretty sure he’s crazy,” Loki said.

Odin ran over to them and grabbed Theo’s arm, lowering her gun.

“Theo! You’re breaking rule number five, young lady,” he scolded her. “No weapons!”

“It’s my house. They’re my rules. And I get to break them when GIGANTIC ALIEN MEN COME TEARING DOWN MY DOOR!” she shouted, pointing at the brothers.

“I do suppose that’s fair,” Loki said, looking at his brother.

“No weapons?” Thor said. “What kind of house is this?”

“Thor, don’t be rude,” Loki muttered.

“A safe one!” Theo snapped. “Now, explain yourselves right now!”

“My name is Thor, and this is Loki—”

“I know damn well who you are! Why on earth would you leave your father here to become homeless? Why would you say you would come for him and then just leave him here with no way to contact you?”

“That’s a good question,” Thor smiled at Theo. “You want to answer that one, Loki?” he growled at Loki.

“Homeless?” Loki said. “I didn’t leave him homeless here. I left him in a home. For old people. A retirement home. Where he could play bingo and mingle with old Midgardians and tell war stories and be cared for day and night their healer nurse-doctor people or whatever.”

“And that retirement home went out of business,” Theo said, standing on her tip toes to be eye level with him. “I guess they don’t have a mailing address for Asgard, do they!”

“So, what, they just turned him out on the street?” Loki asked.

“Yes! They had nowhere else to put him!”

“What kind of place is this? Just throwing your elders out like trash?”

“Welcome to America, sweetie. You don’t have the money to pay for yourself, you go out on the street.”

“Thor, this is not what I intended,” Loki said, addressing his brother. “All I did was strip him of his memories so he wouldn’t rouse the Midgardians’ suspicions, but I did not do this.”

Thor shook his head at him and rolled his eyes and turned to Odin. “I’m sorry that this happened father—”

“No, I am sorry, to both of you,” Odin said.

“What?” both the brothers said in unison. Loki stared at him with surprise, thinking he had heard him wrong. Odin turned his attention to him.

“I am sorry for how I’ve treated you, Loki. For the lies I’ve told you. For blaming you, when I should have blamed myself. Your lawless nature, these storms inside you; you inherited from me. And I would never wish that on another soul,” Odin said, tears in his eyes. “You are my son. I just hope that you can forgive me now after all that I have done.”

Loki stared at him, taken aback by his words. He had no words of his own. He looked at Thor and then to Theo. She crossed her arms, gun still in hand. He stared blankly at Odin, unsure of what to do or say or even what to think.

Thor too was in shock. He looked back and forth between his father and his brother.

“Father, I think you broke him,” he said, chuckling a little, putting his hand on Loki’s shoulder.

“I… I…I do not know what to say,” Loki said.

“That’s alright,” Odin said, putting up his hand. “I don’t expect forgiveness right away. Now, Thor, I must speak with you too.”

Thor wiped his nose with the back of his hand, trying to disguise his man-tears. Theo scoffed. Loki was still searching the room for something that could help him respond. He stepped closer to Theo while Odin spoke with Thor.

“What’s in those tarts?” he asked, suspiciously.

Theo turned her head slowly to glare at him, shooting daggers. “Apples,” she said, feigning hospitality. “And a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar. You’re welcome to one if you want,” she said, though a bit scornful. “And you didn’t answer my question. Why did you leave him here?”

Loki looked uncomfortable. “It’s a long story.”

“Start talking,” Theo said.

“I was not expecting this apologetic Odin. He’s never been this way before. Several years ago, Asgard was dealing with an unexpected war with the dark elves. My brother abdicated his right to the throne and Odin was, well, unfit to rule after our mother died. He was willing to sacrifice every Asgardian warrior we had to defeat the elves just uphold some old family grudge. So, I did what needed to be done and removed Odin from power.”

“Jesus,” Theo said, rolling her eyes.

“I brought him here so he would be safe. I removed his memories with a spell so as to disguise his existence. To keep him safe not only from Midgardians but other powers in the universe that might want him dead. I wasn’t expecting them to throw him out on the street!”

Theo shook her head, not meeting Loki’s eyes.

“But I am grateful to you, Theo, for taking him in. Thor is too, though he may forget to say so.”

“Mmm,” Theo grunted. “How did you even know where to find us?”

“Pfft, that crazy second-rate magician that lives on this island too.”

“Oh no, not him,” Theo whined, as a sparkling portal began to appear in her living room behind Loki. Doctor Strange and Wong stepped through.

“I know, right,” Loki continued. “What a knob. He made me fall through one of his stupid portals for thirty minutes while he tried to figure out where you two were. Man’s not a sorcerer. His magic’s more suitable for children than… he’s right behind me…”

“Hello again, Loki. Theo,” the doctor greeted them. Theo cocked the gun in her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hope is that this will be resolved before this chapter goes live but I would like my lovely readers to know that my work and the work of thousands of other writers on AO3 has been stolen and is being profited from via an app on the Google Play Store, iTunes, and Galaxy called Fanfic Pocket Library Archive (Unofficial). The dev claims it to be an unoffical AO3 mobile version but has essentially hacked AO3s code (obviously without permission) and runs ads, a subscription service, and a tip service to profit from my work and the work of so many thousands of others.
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	4. All Hela Breaks Loose

“Get out of my house, or I will shoot you this time,” Theo shouted at Doctor Strange. “Hi Wong, how are you?” she added kindly, smiling at Strange’s friend. He smiled and bowed politely to her.

“Oooh, I would love to see you shoot him,” Loki said, stepping out of the way to stand behind her. “You know, I’m really starting to like you. Here, don’t let me get in the way. Go ahead, fire away.”

“Don’t get comfortable,” she spat at Loki. “You’re next.”

“Who gave you gun? Why do you have a gun?” Doctor Strange asked.

“For lunatics who break down my doors,” she shouted, waving the gun at Loki, who gracefully ducked out of the way. “Or assholes who teleport into my house without my permission! Oh my God, what am I saying?” She pointed the gun back at Strange.

Thor and Odin approached them. “Loki, we need to go,” Thor said. “Oh, hello Doctor Strange. We were just going.”

Theo glanced at Odin. He looked worried. She could see tear trails on his cheek. She lowered the gun and went to him. “Odin? Are you alright? What did he say? Do I need to punch him?” she asked, pointing at Thor. He took her hand.

“We must go now,” he said, looking up at her sadly. “Back to Asgard. We need to address this situation with Hela.”

“Who?” Loki and Strange asked in unison.

“Aren’t you paying attention, brother,” Thor sneered at Loki.

“Hela, your daughter?” Theo asked Odin, ignoring the others.

“Your what?” Loki shouted.

“We cannot discuss this now, Loki. We need to go back to Asgard. Quickly, before she breaks free and Ragnarok begins. I can feel it, she is close now.”

“Oh, yes, I do think it’s time for all of you to go if someone is coming to destroy you or us,” Doctor Strange said, herding them away like geese towards the door. “Not you,” he said, pushing Theo aside. She frowned at him and brandished the gun still in her hand, giving him a warning. “Thank you for stopping by. Please, do _not_ come again,” he said, opening the door for them and gesturing for them to leave.

A sudden piercing noise rang out from somewhere near the ceiling. Theo grabbed her ears and held them, trying to block out the spine-tingling noise like a thousand nails on a chalkboard. She heard Odin cry out in pain and she straightened up, looking for him. Loki was holding him up, Thor standing close by. Near the ceiling in the living room, where the noise was coming from, a black, vortex-like portal was opening.

“What the hell is happening in my living room!” Theo shouted. “Strange! You better knock this off right now!”

“It’s not me,” he shouted back. Wong stepped past her to Strange’s side. They lifted their hands and in front of them. Orange, circular shields formed. Theo shook her head in disbelief. After everything that had happened to her in the last five years, how on earth could she actually be surprised by anything. Especially, after the two men had literally teleported into her living room.

She turned her attention back to Odin and his sons. She grabbed Loki’s arm and pulled him back. The three of them took several steps back, behind the magicians. Loki put Odin behind him and Thor. There was a flash of light and Thor and Loki adorned armor. Theo stood between the brothers and the wizards, holding her gun and wondering what on earth she was going to have to do to have a normal life again.

A woman materialized from the vortex in ragged black clothes. Her hair was black and pin straight. Her eyes dark, with even darker eye shadow and liner. To Theo, she looked like she’d just arrived back from a My Chemical Romance concert.

“Ahh, Midgard?” the woman breathed.

“Hela,” Odin said from behind Loki.

“What a stinking rathole for you to be hiding in, you old bastard,” she said.

“Hey, I just cleaned yesterday, but your siblings wrecked my living room!” Theo said, pointing her gun at her.

“Oh, and who is this? Your slave? Or your pet?” she scoffed.

“Roommate,” Theo said, finger steady on the trigger.

“Oh, you’ve fallen low, Odin. It’s almost pitiful. But if this is the place you’ve chosen to die, I won’t argue with you. Come out from behind that greasy son of yours.”

“Greasy?” Loki spat. Thor tried to stifle a chuckle. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re excused, little brother, now get out of my way!” She charged forward. Swords shot from her hands. She moved faster than lightning. Theo reacted instinctively, jumping and pulling the trigger, firing off three rounds into the woman’s face.

Each bullet hit its mark, tearing away chunks of flesh and bone. Hela broke away from her charge, tumbling over the couch, holding her face and letting out a howl of pain. Theo was hyperventilating. She stared at the gun in her hand as it trembled with fear and shock at what she had just done. The gun had always been there for protection, but she had never planned on actually shooting anyone.

The men in the room looked at Theo in shock.

“Well,” Loki said, shrugging. “That was much easier than I expected. Ragnarok diverted.”

Hela rose from the ground, kicking over the coffee table, sending books, apple tarts, and coffee flying in all directions.

“Brother, I think you spoke too soon,” Thor growled.

She removed her hand from her wounded face. Her right eye was white, blinded; the skin around it, scarred as if burned from the bullet wounds. The muscle and sinew of her jaw was exposed, showing her teeth and jawbone. The tissue began to necrotize and turn black before their eyes. Theo took a step back out of fear, her stomach turning at the sight of what she had done.

The movement sent Hela into the attack and she flew at Theo. Two swipes of Hela’s arms sent the men careening into the walls. She was on top of Theo in an instant, screaming and howling at her.

She wrapped her fingers around Theo’s neck and squeezed. The air was trapped in Theo’s lungs and she choked. Hela had her pinned to the floor, half smashed against the wall and the wood flooring. Theo’s gun skittered across the floor and landed a few feet away. Her hand flopped, frantically for it, as black spots began to appear in her vision. Hela squeezed harder, Theo heard tiny, crackling noises in her neck and a horrendous gurgling came from her mouth.

She abandoned her gun and tried desperately to peel Hela’s fingers away from her throat; scratching, hitting, punching, kicking, her; anything she could do to get her off her, but it was to no avail. Hela stood over her like a statue and her grip was like steel.

The men were still struggling on the floor. Thor was the first to his feet as Loki helped Odin. Thor threw his hammer as hard as he could at Hela’s back. She whipped around and with her free hand, caught the hammer. The hollow thud echoed through the apartment.

The hammer vibrated in Hela’s hand. Sparks rippled out from it, licking up her fingers and wrist. Cracks formed outwards from her fingers and a noise like metal being sheered pierced Theo’s eardrums.

“That’s not possible,” Thor squeaked.

The hammer vibrated faster, the cracks split wider, and the noise intensified. Hela did not remove her eyes from Thor. Theo, who was still under the iron-like grip of her other hand, was beginning to lose consciousness. She was beginning to panic. Her limbs felt heavy, her eyes felt like they were bulging out of her head.

In an instant, the hammer exploded, sending lightning and chunks of metal flying across the room. The windows in the kitchen shattered in a shock wave that felt like it shook the whole city block. The cabinet doors flew off their hinges. The furniture shattered and curtains shredded.

Theo could hear yelling in the hallway as one of her neighbors was trying to figure out what was going on. In the back of her mind, she hoped they just minded their own business on this one.

Her mind was beginning to shut down. She could no longer think straight. The others were regaining themselves from Thor’s hammer breaking into a thousand pieces, but Theo didn’t have time for them.

The pain in her neck was too much for her to bear any longer. With all her remaining strength, she kicked Hela as hard as she could. While it did not send her flying across the room as Theo had intended, it did get her hand off her throat long enough for her to turn over and stretch for her gun.

She made a lunge for it, but her hand flubbed over it, her mind unable to coordinate her fingers to grab it. Abandoning the instinct to fight, Theo tried to run. She put the rest of her energy into her legs and tried to scramble away from Hela. She stood over her, watching the pathetic mortal who had deformed her so flop about on the floor.

Hela kicked her over, bearing down on her with her sword. Theo’s eyes widened in terror at Hela. She closed her eyes. This was it. This was how it felt last time too. Time seemed to slow, and silence fell and once again, Theo wasn’t ready to go.

Loki cast a spell that knocked Hela back against the wall. Hela’s sword slashed across Theo’s chest, creating a long gash, diagonally across her torso. She cried out in agony at the pain that erupted through her body.

Hela turned and advanced on Loki, swords blazing in a green fire. Loki stepped backwards.

“Thor! Help me!” he shouted. “Lightning her! Do something!”

“I can’t!” Thor shouted back. “My hammer!”

Hela lunged at him. Loki conjured daggers and caught her sword in a cross above his head. She was strong. He could feel the heat of the flame on her swords. Something dripped from them, thick and black, like oil. It dripped onto his skin and burned through, revealing the muscles and tendons of his hand, down to the bone.

He cried out at the burn and let his dagger fall, stepping to the side to avoid the strike of Hela’s blade, holding his hand. He hissed at it as his skin boiled, leaving lesions and blisters in its wake around the epicenter of the ghastly wound.

“It’s poison,” he muttered. He looked up and she was striking at him again. She spun quickly round to continue her attack. He sidestepped once more and made a quick jab at her side. His dagger hit its mark: a rip in the fabric of her armor. She made no cry of pain, no flinch, nor effort to conceal the wound. It bled but she paid no heed. She swung wildly with her blade, but Loki ducked out of the way.

He waved his hand, creating a bright flash of light and loud bang to distract her. In her daze, he made several copies of himself around her and attacked all at once. She spun in a circle, releasing swords in all directions, striking several of the Lokis and making them disappear. Loki could feel twinges of pain at their deaths. Strange and Wong blocked some of the swords from hitting Thor, Odin, and Theo with small force fields.

Loki rolled out of the way of the sword meant for the real him. He had to think of something else. Hela was too clever, and this was too small a space with too many morons in it for them to fight properly.

“Strange!” Loki shouted. “Open one of your portals to the empty dimension! Make her fall through!”

Doctor Strange moved his hands in a circular motion and a portal opened beneath Hela’s feet. She screamed as she began to fall. She made a last ditch lunge at Loki with her sword as she fell through the floor and the portal closed up behind her.

Theo was gasping on the floor. She felt an eerie, coldness permeating through her body. Her back arched as waves of a burning pain washed over her like fire lapping at her skin. Spasms of electric-like shock wracked her muscles, causing her to convulse on the floor. The pain radiated from her chest. She looked down. She could see the blood and the wound, but she could not feel it. The wound felt numb, but the rest of her body was filled with its pain. She screamed but the effort made her head spin.

Loki ran to her side and knelt, examining the wound on her chest and comparing it to the wound on his hand. Strange was right behind him.

“Move,” he said, pushing Loki away from Theo. He turned Theo over. “I’m going to pull up your shirt, Theo. Please, don’t punch me this time,” he said.

“No,” Theo begged as she rolled side to side in pain. “Please,” she moaned.

Strange lifted her torn sweater, revealing the long gash. Her abdomen was littered with other older scars; one rather large, star-shaped scar covering the lower right side of her torso. She struggled to pull her shirt back down but Strange held her. Loki’s eyes widened at Theo’s battle scars. He straightened up and turned to Thor.

“Thor, you stupid oaf! What was that?” he shouted, picking up what was left of Mjolnir’s handle and throwing it at Thor. It hit his chest and bounced off him. Loki shapeshifted into an image of Thor and mocked him. “’Oh no! My special hammer’s broken! I can’t do anything anymore! I’m just a weak little boy! I’m just gonna sit here and watch my crazy sister kill my dear brother! Maybe I’ll have a spot of coffee and an apple tart while he bleeds out!’”

He turned back into himself and grimaced at Thor who was fuming, ready to tear Loki to shreds. Odin stopped the two of them, putting his hands on their chests before they could go at each other. His eye was on Theo who was moaning and crying on the floor, clearly in agony from the wound she had received from Hela.

Strange and Wong were trying to hold her still to examine the wound. The gash was not fatally deep, but it was bleeding badly and parts of it had already become infected as if it were days old. Strange was confused.

Before his eyes, the tissue began to necrotize and die around the edges of the wound, turning gangrenous and then black. Theo moaned with pain. Her hand searched for something to hold. Odin knelt beside her and took her hand and held it.

“I don’t wanna go… no,” she whimpered. “It hurts. Too much.”

“It’s a poison,” Loki said, holding up his own hand to show Strange. The poison on Hela’s blade had burned away Loki’s skin to reveal the tendon and bone of his right hand. The tissue around it was blackened as if dead. “You won’t be able to deal with it here on Midgard. She’ll have to come back to Asgard with us, if she’s to live.”

“Loki,” Odin breathed, seeing his injured son. Loki paid him no heed.

“She is not leaving this planet,” Strange said, not looking up at Loki.

“She’ll die, then,” Loki retorted.

“She is a citizen of earth, and she will not be leaving with a hostile force like you.”

“Thor’s here,” Loki said, gesturing to his brother who was kneeling over the broken pieces of Mjolnir. “He’s not hostile. Just tell whoever that she went with Thor. I don’t care. If she stays here. She’s dead.”

“I don’t want to be dead,” Theo whimpered, deliriously. “Please.”

Loki stared at Strange, searching for his answer. Theo did not have much time. There was a pounding on the door.

“Police, open this door!” someone shouted.

“Nope, we don’t have time for your indecision. I thought you were a doctor,” Loki said. “Bring us back, now! Leave the silly magicians.”

“EXCUSE ME!” Strange roared as the room was filled with rainbow colors.

Bifrost opened. Loki picked Theo up. He hoped she would survive. Strange made a move for them but was blown away by Bifrost. They were picked up and thrown into the rainbow bridge, careening through space. The gate opened on the other side and they materialized in Asgard. Theo was barely alive in Loki’s arms.

“I need a skiff, now!” Loki ordered. A flying boat-like vehicle arrived almost immediately, and Loki put Theo inside.

“Loki, where is Heimdall?” Thor asked.

“Not now, you idiot,” Loki replied.

Odin was helped in by two Einherjar and Thor stepped in as well, doing his best not to strangle his brother in front of everyone. They flew to the palace and Theo was quickly taken inside to the Healing Room.

“Healers!” Loki addressed several women in the room as he entered, carrying Theo. “This woman is Midgardian. She has been struck with a poisoned Asgardian blade. I don’t know what the poison is, but it’s killed the tissue around the wound.”

“Oh dear,” one woman said. “Put her in the soul forge, sire. We’ll try to stop it’s movement through her body.”

Loki placed her on the table and the healers started the forge. Theo was awake but confused and delirious. What she saw around her did not make any sense. The table she was laying on suddenly came alive and golden clouds formed above her in shapes that looked eerily like her own body.

She had been drifting in and out of consciousness until now. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Her chest felt as if it had been cleaved open by a chainsaw in a horror movie. Her head spun with the pain.

The shapes above her billowed and undulated as if moved by an unfelt breeze or wave. Her eyes could not focus well on them, but she thought she could make out a darker colored cloud floating somewhere around where her chest was.

Loki watched the soul forge and the healers do their work. The forge had picked up on the poison and was able to halt its movement in Theo’s body but could not identify nor neutralize it. At least with the poison stopped, the healers could have a better look at the wound. They removed her shirt, much to her distress. She fought back with what little strength she had left.

“Try to relax, Theo,” Loki said. “They’re trying to help.”

“Don’t tell me to relax, you bastard,” she hissed.

“Clearly, she’s not as far gone as I feared,” Loki said flatly.

He looked at the healers and nodded gently. They turned a switch on the forge and Theo’s limbs fell limp.

“I can’t move!” she said. “What did you do to me!”

“It’s by design,” Loki said, calmly. “So, you don’t hurt yourself or anyone else. Like I said, just try to relax and let them do their work.”

They continued to remove her clothing and clean the wound. Loki’s attention fell to the star-shaped scar on her lower abdomen. He knew the mark: a blast from a Chitauri weapon. His mind was filled with flashes of memory too fast for him to catch. He could hear the Chitauri battle cries and weapons blasting, he could hear people dying and buildings falling, he could hear the Avengers rallying. He shook his head, violently.

Thor stepped up beside his brother and addressed the healers, pulling Loki’s attention away from Theo. “Did you call him ‘sire’?” he asked the healers. “You do know who he is, right? What he’s done?”

“Oh, of course, we do, dear. We’ve known for a while now.”

“You’ve what now?” Loki asked, surprised by the matron healer’s answer.

“We all know the Allfather was reaching his limits with the Dark Elves, what with the Queen’s death and yours – twice - and all that mess with Midgard. And then, for you to abdicate, we all thought it had been too much for you too to bear.

“Then, after all that, for Odin to suddenly take an interest in philanthropy over war and military, was, well, rather unlike him,” the healer explained to the brothers, while she worked on Theo’s wound.

“And then, there was the giant golden statue of you, sire, and the plays and the speeches and the epics and the books and the new libraries and theaters and amphitheaters. We started to put a few things together. The Council called a bit of a private meeting with palace staff about it, and we agreed that we were more prosperous this way, so we just let it be.”

Loki turned to his brother smugly and smiled. “Well, how about that?” Thor’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Wait a minute. You knew and you let me walk around in that old man’s body for years? My back still hurts from being as old as him!” Loki said to her.

“Well, sire, that’s what you get for lying to us. We also agreed that was fair.”

“Right, well, next time we have another one of these ‘little meetings’, make sure I’m invited,” he said, winking at her. She giggled and shook her head.

Odin wandered up to the forge and gently laid his hand on Theo’s arm. It seemed to calm her a bit. She was weakening again from the pain and effort. Odin looked up at Loki and smiled.

“I like what you’ve done with the palace,” he said. “I was just admiring the drapes. Your mother would have like the color. Yellow was her favorite.”

“I thought they were gold,” Loki muttered. He turned back to the healer. “What are you finding?”

“This is a strange poison. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It is so fast acting,” she replied.

“Is it possible to get a sample from it?” Loki said. He turned to a guard. “You, go to the library. In the botany section there is an old tome under ‘Skarsgard’. It’s several millennia old so be careful with it. It’s called _Ancient Poisons and Their Workings_. Bring it to me, quickly,” he ordered. The guard scampered off.

“Sire, we may not have time to look up an antidote for her. Her mortal body will not be able to withstand this for much longer even with the forge’s help,” the matron said.

Loki turned back to the soul forge. Theo’s life signs were fading quickly. Loki picked at the palm of his hand. A nervous tick he’d picked up from his mother. His weight shifted from one foot to another.

“Try a regeneration ointment on her,” he said. The healers moved together, preparing Theo’s wound. The matron poured an ointment out of a bottle and rubbed it on the wound with a gloved hand. The wound began to heal but immediately died again. Loki shook his head, afraid that would happen.

“Try healing hands,” he said. “I don’t know the effects of these spells on mortals.”

“Myself, either, sire, but it’s worth a shot,” the matron said, casting the spell over Theo. As long as she kept the spell up, Theo’s wound healed and her life signs improved but as soon as she let it drop, the wound began to necrotize, and Theo diminished. Loki growled to himself.

“A healing stone,” he said. The matron powdered the stone in a mortar and pestle and sprinkled the dust over the wound. To Loki’s surprise the potency of the stone kept the poison at bay for far longer than the other remedies had, but soon he could see the wound beginning to infect again, turning red and white but at a far slower rate.

“That seemed to have worked better,” the matron said.

“We cannot waste too many stones, we have to find something more sustainable,” Loki said.

“What about Idunn’s apples?” Odin said, looking at Loki.

Loki considered Odin’s proposal. No mortal had ever been given one so it would either kill her immediately, give her immortality, heal her wound, or none of the above. It was worth a shot, Loki thought. He nodded at the matron.

The healer’s kept a basket of the apples on hand as they were useful healing items for Asgardians with minor wounds and injuries and other minor maladies. She sliced off a piece of one and fed it to Theo. Her life signs improved dramatically and the infection in the wound slowed.

“Alright,” Loki said. “Give her a little more until it heals the wound. Let’s see what happens.”

The matron continued to feed Theo pieces of the apple, but the healing process appeared to taper and plateau. The wound would not heal beyond a large scab on her chest before reverting back to an open, infected wound a few seconds after Theo had swallowed a bite of apple.

“Whatever that poison is, it won’t let her body heal,” Loki said. He looked at his own hand. He felt a little twinge in his own stomach at seeing his own bones. The pain was intense at the area of injury, but Loki was used to pain like this. He was more interested in the necrotized tissue.

“Are you hurt, sire? Were you cut by the same blade?”

“Yes,” he said, simply, hiding his hand from the healer. “Keep her fed with the apples whatever way you can and try to keep her comfortable. Give her something for the pain. Mandragora, poppydew, datura, something that’s not too strong. I’m afraid it might put her to sleep permanently,” he said. “Mortal composition is weird so do not give her very much of anything.”

Theo muttered something from the bed. Loki looked down at her and leaned closer. “No opioids,” she muttered. “Please, I can’t.”

“On second thought, no poppydew,” he said, straightening up again. “Try a teeny, tiny bit of datura. And don’t let her leave the Healing Room if she starts hallucinating.”

“Yes, sire, we’ll take care of her. But, please, let me see your hand,” the matron said, grabbing his hand before he could turn away.

“No—, matron, I’m fine, please,” he said, trying to pull away.

“Shush, let me look,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. You must be in excruciating pain.”

“Really, I’m fine,” Loki said, he pulled away, but she pulled him and walked him to a counter with healing supplies.

She applied a healing stone powder to it which eased the pain and healed it somewhat. His skin did not immediately die again as Theo’s had so his healing factor was an advantage, but it still did not heal completely. The healer gently wrapped his hand in silken bandages, taking care with his hand and fingers. He winced a little when she tightened the bandage but quickly regained himself.

“I know why you’re acting this way,” she said, leaning in close to him and gesturing with her eyes back towards Odin. “You’re no use to us injured or sick so let us help you too.”

Loki smiled and nodded at her. “Thank you, matron,” he said, sincerely. “We’ll work on finding out what this poison is, just keep the mortal girl here, please.”

Loki turned back to Thor and Odin. One of the healers had given Odin a cane for him to lean on. He did appear weaker than before. He looked about as if it were his first time in the palace. Occasionally, he would look down at Theo and squeeze her hand, gently, then go back to aimlessly looking around.

Loki led Odin and Thor to the council chambers. Odin plopped down in the King’s seat out of habit. Loki walked up behind him and cleared his throat. Odin looked up at him, smiled, and moved over to Loki’s old seat. Loki took his seat at the head of the table.

“Now, Odin, tell me about Hela, I missed that part while we were on Midgard,” he said.

“Because you were flirting,” Thor muttered.

“I was not flirting!” Loki snapped. “I was cleaning up your mess as usual, brother!”

“Do you two always fight?” Odin asked them.

“Where have you actually been for the last fifteen centuries?” Loki asked him, sarcastically. “Now, would you care to explain this random other offspring you’ve locked away for several dozen centuries?”

Odin looked down, seemingly ashamed. He cleared his throat. His sons watched him as he shifted his weight in the chair.

“I have not always been honest with you, my sons,” he began. “Don’t interrupt me, Loki!” he snapped, as Loki took in a breath to make a snarky remark. He closed his mouth and let his father go on. “Asgard is not eternal. There was a time when it did not exist here. When it was not this,” he gestured to the fine palace around them.

“The Realms were not united. They were once chaotic and ungoverned. My ancestors sought for eons to bring about peace. We have succeeded but it was never a sturdy peace.

“When I was young, when your mother and I had first been married, when our peoples, the Vanir and Aesir, had been united, it was during one such unsettled and chaotic times that we had a daughter together: Hela.

“Perhaps, it was the chaos she was born into or my want for war to settle the peace, but I realized almost immediately the child’s aptitude for battle. Like she was made for it. I trained her for the battlefield. When she was old enough, she commanded my armies; fought by my side. And, together, we brought peace to the Realms.”

“By ‘brought peace’ do you mean, you bullied the Realms into a bloody submission to you?” Loki asked.

Odin raised his head to look at his son. “Say what you will,” he responded. “All successors judge their predecessors. I surely did my own father. And he his. But Hela’s appetite for war could not be sated with peace. She sought out battle wherever she looked. She wanted more than peace. More than I could ever give her. She wanted the universe in her hand.

“When I could not give her that, she attacked Asgard, her own people. I sent in the Valkyrie to stop her, but she slaughtered them all. I conjured all the dark magicks that I could, and I locked her away in Niflheim where I thought she would be safe, where Asgard would be safe from her.”

“In Hel,” Thor said.

“An echo of her own name, not it’s original,” Odin remarked. “It destroyed Frigga. She begged me to remove her memory of Hela so she would not suffer with the knowledge that she had helped create a monster. I thought I would lose her. It was never her fault. Hela was what I made her to be. Frigga wanted to do it herself, but it was far too dangerous.

“So, I removed her memories of Hela. It would be several centuries before we had another child,” Odin looked up at Thor, there was a tear in his eye for his beloved wife. It slipped down his cheek. He dropped his head, ashamed to be crying in front of his sons.

He went on, “It was foretold to me by Mimir that Hela would lead the charge at Ragnarok and kill me. And then destroy Asgard.”

“Mimir was insane,” Loki scoffed.

“He knew more than us all,” Odin said.

“Is that why you betrayed him? Because he was wiser than you?” Loki asked, darkly. Odin did not respond.

“Father, you’re _the_ _Allfather_. There must be a way to stop her,” Thor said

“There is none.”

“Pfft, how Allfatherly of you,” Loki said, rolling his eyes. “So, how could she have escaped?”

“I do not know. Her cage in Yggdrasil was supposed to be impenetrable.”

“Perhaps, she had help, then,” Loki posited.

“Impossible. No one knew of her existence.”

Thor made an uneasy noise and Loki sneered at him. He enjoyed seeing his brother squirm at learning the truth after centuries of Odin’s lies.

“Well, clearly someone did,” Loki went on. “Someone who shares her interests, perhaps. There’s plenty of beings who would love to see Asgard go up in flames—” he trailed off, thinking of what Odin had said. “’She wanted the universe in her hand…’” he breathed, opening and closing his good hand on the table.

Loki stood so fast his chair tumbled over backwards. His face paled as white as snow, his eyes widening as if he’d seen a ghost. He ran out of the room with Thor hot on his heels.

“Brother, where are you going?” Thor asked. “Loki!”

He followed Loki through the halls of the palace. They descended several staircases. They were headed to the dungeons. Three guards walked up the stairs towards them, likely just getting off their guard duty.

“You three, with me,” he ordered. The stepped to and followed him.

They arrived at an unassuming door in the dungeons. Thor had never seen the door before. At least, he couldn’t really remember if he had.

“Loki, explain. What’s going on?”

Loki was ignoring him. He threw open the door. It led down a dark tunnel that Thor could not see the end of. Odin had just caught up with them. He watched Loki.

Loki gathered his seidr and moved his hands in intricate patterns in front of him. Green ribbons began to form woven Asgardian knotwork that he blew onto the door, magically sealing it. He flung the door shut and posted the two guards at it.

“Guard this door and ensure no one enters or comes from it, understand,” he said. The guards nodded.

Thor peered down the tunnel. He could feel magic in it that was for sure, but he could not place where it came from. He tried to concentrate on it. Magic was Loki’s thing; Thor had never really been good at it. It felt like it radiated a familiar energy, similar to the feeling Bifrost gave him when they traveled on it. The realization hit him. This door was one of the secret pathways through Bifrost that Loki knew.

“This door is to be added to the guard patrols, immediately,” Loki said to the third guard. “I want you to go to the guard barracks and summon High Commander Ingvild here at once.”

The guard nodded, genuflecting and rushing off back up the stairs.

“Ingvild? A woman?” Thor exclaimed. “Where’s Sven? I thought he was High Commander.”

“I cut off his head,” Loki said, flippantly, pacing back and forth.

“You what?! Are you mad! He was one of our best warriors! He trained us both!”

“He was plotting to kill you; do you know that?” Loki snapped. “Ensure you could never come back for the throne, overthrow our line, and take over. How would you like a giant hog as our new sigil, then? Huh? Why don’t you leave the ruling to me, brother?”

Odin chuckled. “A giant pig on our banner,” he laughed. “I always thought that man was off. He looked like a pig. You know his name meant pig?”

“This isn’t real,” Thor said, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ve gone mad. This place has gone mad.”

“Welcome home, brother,” Loki smiled, giving him the craziest face he could muster. “What’s the matter, brother? Is it mad to have a woman as High Commander?”

“Uh… no,” Thor blushed. “I just meant, uh… I was just surprised that… you know that I fully support female warriors and women… don’t look at me like that.”

Loki shook his head disappointedly at his brother as the guards gave him looks of discontent.

“Ingvild is an accomplished warrior,” Loki explained. “Crime has seen a massive fall since she took over and she rooted out all those pesky little corrupted council weasels for me. My first choice would have been Sif, of course, if she weren’t so eager to toss aside all her oaths for you, her one true love,” he bat his eyelashes at Thor. He was blushing nearly the color of his cape now.

And Ingvild is a good choice, I guess. I’m glad you haven’t cut off Sif’s head too.”

“Oh, believe me, brother, I wanted to more than once, but I refrained. You’ll thank me later. You can put all that mortal girlfriend business behind you. After you uphold your oath too. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

“Father, please, do something about this!” Thor said, gesturing to Loki.

“What am I going to do? I’ve been deposed,” he said, walking away from them. “He’s your king, now. You have to listen to him.”

Loki’s jaw dropped for a moment at Odin agreeing with him, but he took the opportunity to sneer at his brother. Thor’s fists clenched and he lunged at his brother. Loki put his hands up and the guards lifted their spears at Thor. He stopped short of strangling his brother, sparks arcing over his fingers.

“Ah, I wouldn’t do that,” Loki said. “They don’t like it when you get that close to me and neither do I, sparky.” He lowered his brother’s hands. “Ah, Ingvild, you have impeccable timing,” Loki said, addressing the woman descending the stairs. Thor growled at him but tried to control himself, dispersing the rest of his electricity into the air and making the guards hair stand on end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hope is that this will be resolved before this chapter goes live but I would like my lovely readers to know that my work and the work of thousands of other writers on AO3 has been stolen and is being profited from via an app on the Google Play Store, iTunes, and Galaxy called Fanfic Pocket Library Archive (Unofficial). The dev claims it to be an unoffical AO3 mobile version but has essentially hacked AO3s code (obviously without permission) and runs ads, a subscription service, and a tip service to profit from my work and the work of so many thousands of others.
> 
> AO3 has recently responded to the news of these apps (https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/15103) but there is very little that they themselves can do so it's up to us.
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	5. Sibling Rivalry

Loki, Thor, and Odin, walked towards the weapons vault with Commander Ingvild and a few more guards. Ingvild was a tall, strong woman, wearing silver armor and a gold cape similar to the rest of the Einherjar. Her cape had a thick band of embroidered knotwork along its border in a flashing gold thread that indicated her rank as High Commander among the Einherjar. At her side was a sword that bounced on her thigh as she walked alongside the King.

She had only faltered for a moment upon seeing Loki standing beside Odin and Thor but the rumor that Loki had finally revealed himself this morning at the theatre had spread through most of the city by now. She saluted her King and Loki acknowledged her with a smirk. Now, he walked beside her with purpose, ignoring his moping brother. Odin toddled along behind them, watching his son work.

“I want extra guards posted on this vault and the patrols updated immediately. Did the guard I send tell you of the new post on that doorway?” Loki asked.

“Yes, sire, I’ll add it to the log right away,” Ingvild responded.

“Good,” Loki said. “I want it guarded at all times as well. In addition, I want you to contact the other Commanders. I will call a meeting with all of you in the War Room tonight at dusk but in the meantime:

“To Commander Brynja, there is to be an increase of our atmospheric security, effective immediately. I want all traffic in and out of Asgard halted. There are to be no space-bound vehicles entering or leaving Asgard.

“To Commander Dagfinn, I want increased legions posted on our walls in case of a terrestrial based attack. Also, muster the Warriors Three and Sif. They are to uphold their oaths and protect this palace, should something happen.”

“Yes, sire,” Ingvild said. “We are preparing for war, then?”

“No, but there is an eminent threat. Two actually, possibly more. We need to be prepared. Make sure the people are well versed on evacuation procedures in case the alarm is sounded. There should be guards available to ensure those measures can be enacted, if needed.

“Post Destroyers on the walls and on Bifrost, the armored bilgesnipe at the gates, wolves, sabrecats, whatever we have. And, please, keep the handlers with the bilgesnipe this time. We don’t want another one getting loose in the city again.”

“Yes, of course, sire,” Ingvild said, sending a chilling glare towards one of the men beside her. He looked down at his feet and nodded, rubbing his arm as if remembering a rather painful and shameful memory.

“Instruct the Einherjar, to arm the plasma canons with the anti-proton missiles first, should something happen,” Loki continued. “The enemy ships have advanced defenses.”

“Loki, you speak as if you know the attacker that’s coming,” Odin said.

“I don’t know anything, I’m just trying to prepare us in case he shows up,” he said to Odin. “Go,” he ordered Ingvild. The High Commander trotted off along with a group of guards and legionnaires, barking orders to them as she went. Loki turned away and pushed open the doors of the weapons vault

“Who, Loki?” Thor asked, following him in with Odin close behind. “Who do you speak of?”

Loki did not answer. He stalked down the aisle towards the end of the vault. They walked past Surtur’s Skull which had only just been placed on a new pedestal. It was chained to the rock where it sat. The relics had clearly been rearranged and reordered in Odin’s absence. At the very end of the vault, the three came to a stop. There, on a pedestal, sat the Tesseract in an armored box. Loki sighed, seemingly relieved. He reached for it, hesitating a moment, before picking it up, ensuring it was genuine and quickly setting it back down.

“What is that, Loki?” Thor asked.

“It’s a birthday present,” Loki said, sarcastically. “What does it look like, you idiot? It’s the Tesseract.”

“No, ugh. I mean what’s that thing on it! Don’t call me an idiot, brother,” Thor warned.

“It’s a lock that I forged for it. Your Avenger friends think of the Tesseract like a door that opens between two points in space. To dumb it down to something you can understand, think of this as a lock on that door. Only _I_ know where the key to it is, so no one else can open the door.”

“Smart,” Odin muttered as he looked around the vault.

“I also replaced the Destroyer you destroyed,” he went on to Thor.

“It was your fault,” Thor grumbled.

“Hmm, was it?” Loki asked, cocking his head to the side.

Thor wasn’t listening. He looked around the vault, frantically. “Loki, where is the Aether?” Thor asked.

“Nowhere. Come on, both of you, out!” he ordered them, shepherding them both back out towards the door. He liked giving them orders. It was a new feeling. A nice feeling. The two big guards that had followed them in, promptly turned about face and walked out with them.

“What? You lost it? What do you mean it’s nowhere?” Thor shouted.

“Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a secret, would it? I’m the only one that knows, and I wiped everyone else’s memory that did,” he said, shoving them out of the weapons vault. “I even tried to wipe my own memory of it, so who knows if I even know, you know?”

“Ugh, you’re insane,” Thor whined, dragging his hands down his face.

“Yes, you’re probably right for once,” Loki laughed, shrugging.

“You did what, Loki? You wiped your own memory?” Odin asked but Loki did not respond.

The door closed behind them with a bang. Loki turned around to face it and lifted his arms, palms facing the door. With a green flash, a massive, stony serpent appeared on the door and began to slither back and forth across the panels, tying itself in intricate Asgardian knots.

Loki seemed to control it, tying each knot with a flick of his wrist; making the serpent’s head rise and fall, twist and turn. Loki’s arms moved in wide arcs, forming a large circle. The serpent copied him, forming a complete circle of knots on the door. It opened its jaws and grabbed its tail in its mouth, sealing the door shut with rays of green light. Loki lowered his arms. He was breathing harder, the magic seeming to drain him a little. He held his injured hand, rubbing the pain away.

“Hmph,” Odin said, stepping up beside his son and putting his hand on Loki’s shoulder. Loki flinched at the uncommon touch. “I’m impressed. Your mother would be proud.”

Loki looked at him, surprised. He still was not sure how to take these new compliments. Odin had never really shown him true affection before.

“Are you going to tell us who you’re so worried about?” Thor asked him.

Loki snapped to, turning away from Odin and addressing Thor. “I’m worried about this deranged sister of yours. You know, I’m starting to think madness runs in your family?” he said, walking past Odin and Thor towards the stairs. “Your great grandfather, your grandfather, your uncles, more than half of your cousins, and now him,” he pointed a thumb at Odin. “Perhaps you should have the matron healer check you over before you succumb to it too, brother.”

Loki patted Thor on the back and gave him a mock-concerned look before walking up the stairs. Thor desperately wanted to take a swing at Loki but knew well that he could not. He turned to his father and gestured at Loki, wanting Odin to help him, to say something, to stop him, to do something. Odin just chuckled, shaking his head, and followed Loki up the steps.

“Ugh, I will go mad if I have to stay here!” Thor whined, plodding along behind them. He stopped in his tracks a moment, realizing something. “All this preparation has something to do with the Infinity Stones doesn’t it, brother?”

Loki scoffed. “And what could you possibly know about those?” he asked, not turning back to look at his brother. They arrived at the top of the stairs in an elegant sitting room. Guards stood at the entrances of three hallways leading off in different directions.

“Plenty,” Thor said, confidently. “That’s where I’ve been all these years. Searching for them,” Thor said.

“And how has that gone? Have you found any? What have you learned about them?” Loki said, stopping in the middle of the room. His tone was condescending and sarcastic, as usual. He turned to face Thor, raising a brow at him expectantly.

“I know that there are supposed to be six. I know that the scepter you had on Earth was one. And now the Mind Stone rests in the head of Vision, a being that the humans created.”

“Oh wonderful, I can’t see that blowing up in their faces at all,” Loki said.

“And then, there’s the Aether--”

“Yes, well done. We all know that,” Loki retorted.

“And the Tesseract.”

“Goodness, brother. Have you brought me any useful information or do you just—"

“AND, there is another one on—”

“On Xandar,” he and Loki said together. Thor blinked in confusion.

“Yes, brother,” Loki continued, turning away from his shocked brother’s face. “You may think me idle these past few years but I, too, have been looking for the Stones.”

“To do what with them?” Thor asked darkly, suspicious of his brother.

“What do you think I’d do with them?” Loki asked. He turned back to face Thor.

Thor looked around, not wanting to say aloud what he truly thought. Odin stood behind his sons, watching their argument closely. Loki was hiding something that he was not yet ready to reveal to either of them. Frigga hated when their boys fought. She hated it more when Thor became physical, but now that Loki was surrounded by guards to protect him, the playing field had been leveled.

“Do you think I’d try to rule with them?” Loki asked, snidely. “Well, I already have a kingdom, a throne, a people,” he gestured to the palace around him. “I didn’t need the Stones to get all this; I did that by myself!”

Thor faltered, unable to respond. “Do you think I’d kill with them?” Loki continued, taking a step closer to Thor and Odin. “Well, I’ve already done that too, haven’t I, brother? You were there. You saw how ‘savage’ I was. You saw what they could do. What I could do with them.

“You know now what the Mind Stone is capable of now, but you still think I was in full control, don’t you? You think I wanted all this to happen? You think I wanted to hurt that poor Midgardian girl in there?” he shouted, pointing towards the Healing Room. “I barely even remember it! It’s not even in here!” he shouted, hitting his head with his good hand.

Odin lifted his hand, wanting to stop Loki from hurting himself. He took a step toward Loki, but Thor put his arm out to stop him

Loki was stepping closer to them both. He put his hands behind his back. If Thor had learned anything from fighting his brother in the past, he knew that this was Loki’s battle stance. Loki was gearing up to throw knives at them, to use his magic, to do something. Thor felt vulnerable without Mjolnir and he did not like how aggressive Loki was getting.

Thor was not used to his brother being so loud. He had to protect himself and Odin, but he had nothing to defend either of them with nor anyone to come to his aid. Loki’s voice was growing louder, booming through the halls. Thor took a few steps back, pushing Odin with him. Loki followed them, taking three heavy steps towards them.

“Do you think I’d try to change my fate with them?” he shouted. “I already have! What do I need them for! I want those horrific things as far away from me as possible but its like I’m a magnet for them! They just keep coming back!” he roared. His fists clenched tightly behind his back. His temple bulged in his head, a vein popped in his neck, straining with anger. His face reddened.

“Don’t you see, you moron! I’m trying to separate them! I’m trying to keep them as far apart as possible!” he shouted. His voice echoed through the halls. He stopped, as if regaining himself for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter but no less venomous. “If _he_ finds them… if he assembles them… you have no idea what he could do with them!” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“Sire,” a guard squeaked from the doorway.

“WHAT!” Loki exploded at him. The echo of his voice could be heard at Bifrost.

The guard fell backwards in fear of his King, the spear he carried clattering to the floor.

“The mortal woman, she… she… escaped out of the Healing Room after she started having vivid hallucinations from the potions the healers administered to her.” The guard was crying, nearly wetting himself with fear of the King’s response to the news he had given.

“Argh,” Loki’s whole body tensed as did the whole room with him. His fists clenched, his arms flexing with rage. The air in the room seemed to vibrate with a powerful magical current. The guards braced themselves for the furniture to explode into splinters, for the drapes to shred themselves, for the carpets to set themselves on fire, and possibly for their clothes to do the same. Some of them still had painful memories from long ago when the young prince had similar outbursts. Back then, only his mother could stop him from destroying entire wings of the palace.

“Wait!” Odin shouted at him. “Stop!”

Loki’s head snapped around to him. His nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing on Odin. Thor thought his father would burst into flames himself at the look Loki gave him.

Odin took a deep breath. He admitted internally, he had never been good at dealing with Loki’s outbursts. Frigga had always took control if Loki lost his temper, and that was rare. It was more often that Thor was losing his temper, crashing through walls in the garden or flipping over long tables in the dining rooms. He had been rather easy to calm with some mead or a good spar but Loki was far different.

“My son, take a deep breath,” Odin said. “Theo is a big girl; she can take care of herself. We can go look for her and bring her back to the Healing Room.”

Loki held his stance a moment. He wanted so badly to let this rage inside of him explode like a volcano. He had been hiding inside an old man for four years. Not just any old man: the Allfather. He was not stupid. He had to keep some level of the reputation alive. But now he was himself again. And all he wanted to do was let out all of his anger on the two men that had ruined his life.

“Please, Loki,” Odin said. “Take a deep breath.”

Loki realized he had, indeed, been holding his breath. He took in a breath through his nose and closed his eyes. The muscle in his jaw tightened and released. He thought for a moment. He did like being King. Exploding like this would not look good on his first real day as himself as King.

He deflated like a balloon. His hands rose to his face and he rubbed his throbbing temples. A collective sigh of relief could be heard from around the room. Thor was wary of his brother after such a display. He had never seen Loki so angry. The room was still, all eyes were on the King, waiting to see what he would do. Loki straightened up and took a deep breath, shaking his head.

“Of course, she got away,” he muttered. “No one can do their jobs, today,” he grumbled to himself.

“Where’s Heimdall? He can find her,” Thor asked, trying to keep his tone as even as possible.

“I charged Heimdall with the treason you made him commit, he exiled himself, no one’s seen him since,” Loki said, rubbing his eyes. “And good that he did. I would have chopped off his head if he didn’t.”

Thor rolled his eyes but made sure his brother didn’t see.

“I need some datura for myself,” Loki groaned. “And a girl or two in my bed, and maybe a man, too.”

Odin turned down the hallway towards the Healing Room, satisfied that his boys were no longer going to rip each others throats out and that his palace was going to stay intact.

“Gross, Loki,” Thor muttered.

“What? Are you jealous?” he smiled, devilishly. “Since you’re, you know, single now?”

“Please, don’t tell me you’ve been doing that disguised as father.”

“Ok, fine. I haven’t been doing that disguised as father,” he replied, giving his brother a wink and following after Odin.

“No, no,” Thor whined, putting his hands on his head. “I can’t unimagine that. It’s in my head now. What have you done to me, brother? You’re disgusting! That’s disgraceful!”

Loki could be heard cackling, maniacally down the hallways as they made their way back towards the Healing Room.

They walked in to find the healers bustling around frantically. There was broken glass on the floor and blood splattered everywhere. Torn linens draped over the Soul Forge and made a trail towards one side of the room. One of the healers was nursing another healer with a bruised forehead and blackened eye. Odin walked over to the Soul Forge where Theo had been laying. The sheets were strewn over the pallet and he could see blood and darker, decomposed tissue that had come off in Theo’s struggle. It appeared more like a murder scene than the scene of an escape.

“What happened?” Loki asked.

“We thought that we calculated the right amount of datura to give to her, but she is apparently sensitive to these botanicals, sire, I apologize,” the matron said, walking over to them. “She woke in a frenzy and tore off her bandages. We tried to settle her down again, but she went on a rampage through the room, screaming about monsters attacking the city. She was clearly hallucinating.”

Thor glared at Loki but Loki paid him no heed, keeping his attention trained on the matron.

“She got into the potions over there and who knows what she inhaled. She hit poor Aslaug, there. Though, I don’t think she meant to hit her; sent her flying across the room,” she pointed to the woman in the corner being healed. Thor grimaced at the poor, old woman’s injury.

The matron continued, “We did our best to restrain her but she got free and then leapt nearly ten feet to that window and escaped! I think she must have gotten into one of the strength potions over there, I’m not sure, yet. She hasn’t been gone more than five minutes, sire. I sent the guards after her.”

Loki looked at Odin, flatly. “Now, your pet has superpowers. Still think she’s going to be okay on a planet she’s never been to?”

“Oh, she’s not my pet,” Odin said, gruffly, waving away Loki’s comment with his hand. “If you and Thor go quickly, you both should be able to find her with the guards’ help. I’ll only slow you down.”

Loki scoffed. “You think I’m going to leave you here in this palace by yourself?”

“Loki,” Thor scolded.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me,” Odin said. “I’m retired now.”

“The guards will find her or they’ll bring her body back,” Loki said. “I have bigger problems to deal with right now.”

“Loki!” Thor shouted. Odin hung his head.

Loki whipped around to face Thor. “We are on the brink of an attack by this sister of yours and whomever may have helped her escape! The people have no idea! Not to mention the ten billion other problems this planet is dealing with right now! The other Realms have felt the instability this throne has perpetuated in the last century; they’re on the verge of revolt and while _you’ve_ been galivanting through the cosmos, _I’ve_ been here trying to pacify them!” Loki shouted. Odin rolled his eyes as the two started fighting again.

“Oh yes, you looked very busy this morning watching plays in your bathrobes—in his bathrobes!” Thor shouted.

“Don’t criticize the way I rule. You have no idea! You never wanted to know! You left!” Loki shouted back.

“Don’t put this on me! You tricked me! I didn’t fake my death _again_! I didn’t put my brother through mourning _again_!”

“Oh, you’re such a victim,” Loki said, folding his arms and turning away. “Go be a cry baby somewhere else.”

Odin waddled over to both of them. The rest of the room had quickly gone back to their business, trying to ignore the two fighting brothers. Centuries of sibling rivalry had taught many of the palace staff to get as far away as possible from a fight like this, lest they be hit with a stray bolt of lightning or rogue spell or worse.

“DON’T YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, BROTHER!” Thor shouted.

Loki snapped around ready pounce on Thor but Odin made a swift move with his new cane, swatting first Thor, then Loki on the back of the head with his it.

“Agh!”

“Ouch!” the brothers cried.

“Now, the two of you need to stop this nonsense and work together. Figure out where Theo is,” he said, gruffly.

“Why does she matter so much to you?” Loki asked.

He glared at Odin. Loki expected Odin to shout at him, to growl at him, to tell him to shut up, but the old man just stared at him with that icy, blue eye; his brow furrowed with worry for this Midgardian girl. Loki’s shoulders drooped and he sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Huginn, Muninn,” he called. Two ravens flew in through the window.

“Oh!” Odin drew in an excited breath at seeing his pet ravens again. He used to throw bread at every crow he saw in Central Park hoping it were Huginn or Muninn. Loki hated his ravens, Odin had feared Loki may have gotten rid of them or killed them when he took over.

The ravens landed gracefully on Odin’s shoulders and both gave him loving headbutts before flapping over onto Loki’s head, pecking at his scalp and pulling his hair. Loki shook his head to get them off, swatting at them. Thor laughed at his brother as he struggled to wrangle the two ornery birds. The ravens finally hopped down onto Loki’s extended arm, satisfied that they had thoroughly annoyed him.

“Now, listen to me, carefully, this time,” he said, pointing at them. Loki’s hair was frazzled from all the pecking and pulling. It hung in his face. He desperately tried to flip it behind his shoulders as he addressed the birds. He held up a piece of raisin bread for them. They were both very interested in this snack.

“Find the Midgardian girl before she get’s herself into trouble,” Loki said. “AND,” – he withdrew the bread from them to make sure he had their attention – “Report back to me when you find her. Don’t forget that part this time, got it?”

“Ask them nicely,” Odin whispered.

“Please,” Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. The ravens made soft clicks in agreement, taking nips at the raisins in the bread. He gave them their treat. They snapped it out of his hands. Loki recoiled, trying to save his remaining fingers as the ravens both flew off, cawing to each other as they went, eating their treat. Loki’s whole body shuddered. He sighed and then fixed his tussled hair.

“I hate those two,” he muttered.

“It’s good you tried the raisins this time. They like raisins,” Odin said, nodding approval at Loki’s choice of treat.

“Maybe, if you didn’t throw rocks at them all the time when we were kids, they wouldn’t hate you so much,” Thor teased.

“I only did that because _he_ was spying on me!” Loki hissed, pointing at Odin but he was not listening to them anymore. He hobbled across the room and picked up several golden apples from a basket on a table, stuffing them into his pockets. Theo would need them when Huginn and Muninn found her. In truth, he was very concerned for her. The longer she was away from the Healing Room, the worse that wound would become and the less time she would have.

“Well, now that we have some time to kill, there’s some things I need to speak to you about, Loki,” Thor said.

“Thor, we just tried speaking and it really didn’t work out well,” Loki said, rubbing the lump on the back of his head. A guard walked up to him addressing him about another matter. Loki gave him a few orders and he trotted off as more servants, guards, and councilmen began to enter the Healing Room to address the King. “So, let’s not do that. As you can see, I have a kingdom to run.”

“No, I’m serious,” Thor said, stepping in the way of noblewoman as she was about to address Loki. She withdrew with a gasp at Thor’s disrespect and turned away in a huff. “This is about Ragnarok. About Surtur.”

“Yes, you did a very good job killing him,” Loki said, slowly, like a parent congratulating a child for a minor victory. “Well done. Do you want a medal?”

“No, I… He said Ragnarok had already begun. That there’s no stopping it.”

“And you’re going to trust a crippled fire giant whose soul purpose in life was to fulfil the limelight role of a prophecy spouted by an equally insane, severed head that the old man trusted more than his own council and which, on multiple occasions, ‘whispered’ prophecies to him that ‘foretold’ the death of us all?”

“No. Well, when you put it that way it sounds like madness, but—”

“Yes, because it is,” Loki said, promptly. “Matron, this man is suffering from bouts of insanity, please restrain him.”

“Loki, I will kill…” Thor’s fists clenched as the matron gently pulled him away to sit down.

“Hmm? I’m sorry? What was that?” Loki asked with a smile. He continued to address his other tasks, watching the matron press a wet cloth against Thor’s forehead.

Thor growled. “Loki, I really have been having these dreams of Asgard in flames. We still don’t know what’s happening! When Hela will strike again or what any of this means!”

“How long have you been having these dreams, dear?” the matron asked.

Loki chuckled and left the Healing Room, instructing the guards to keep Odin and Thor there until Huginn and Muninn returned. He did have a kingdom to run after all, and those two were nothing but in the way today.


	6. Is This the Real Life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS APPLY:   
> MENTIONS OF PAST RAPE,   
> MENTIONS OF DRUG ABUSE,   
> MENTIONS OF PSYCHOTIC EPISODES,   
> PTSD AND PTSD RELATED FLASHBACKS

Theo staggered through the streets of Asgard, half-naked and covered in blood. She had no idea where she was. She could not see any street signs. She couldn’t find a taxi anywhere nor a subway station, not even a bus. All she could see in front of her were horses and carts. She must be near Central Park, she thought. That’s where all the tourists took those weird horse and carriage rides.

She really hated New York sometimes. There were cars and taxis everywhere until you needed one. The people parted around her as she limped through the street. Her foot hurt but she didn’t know why. She looked down. A little bit of blood squished up from between her toes with each step. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t have shoes on, she was quite sure she put some on this morning.

She looked up at the giant skyscrapers around her but did not recognize any of them. To her surprise, these buildings shown with a golden hue, unlike anything she had ever seen. They brought a new definition to a skyscraper, as they seemed to stretch upwards for miles. She squinted, covering her eyes to block the glare of brilliant light all around her. As she looked harder, she thought, for a split second, she could see flying vehicles darting about above some of the shorter buildings. She shook her head and looked again but they were still there zipping by one another. Thousands of them formed ribbons of traffic that wove in and out of the golden buildings around her.

Her eyes widened as she realized what they were. New York was under attack again. It was the Chitauri. It was Loki. He was back to take over Earth again.

It hadn’t been a dream. She had woken in a frenzy, covered in a cold sweat. Another nightmare, this time about Loki opening a portal to his army in her living room, but when she woke, she was not in her bed in her apartment. Nurses were surrounding her, holding cloths to her nose and mouth, restraining her to the bed. A man with a spear guarded the door. The sight of him sent Theo into a rage, she attacked the evil nurses with their drugs and ran away, not caring about the mess she made.

Now, she watched in terror as Asgardian skiffs flew about high above her head on their daily commutes across the city. She turned and ran, looking for a place to hide, running into an open marketplace. Vendors shouted prices and bids, selling goods and livestock from around the Realms. A man stepped in front of her, eager to sell her a decorative ceramic vase. She stepped one way but he stepped in front of her, blocking her path, speaking to her in a language she did not know.

“What are you doing, you idiot? We’re under attack! Look!” she pointed at the sky, briefly revealing her breasts beneath the tattered, silken robes that draped over her shoulders. The man stared at her bare chest. She gasped, following his gaze, and smacked him, sending him careening through his shop stall. Broken ceramics and pots scattered across the pavement.

Theo looked down at her hand in shock. It was red and reverberated with the sting of the slap. The slap was only meant to remind him where her eyes were. Not to kill him. She trembled as she turned to see the man climbing out of his ruined stall. He pointed and yelled at her. She took off, relieved he was alive, but terrified of what might come next. She made for some crowded streets nearby. She pushed people out of the way as she went. They flew against the walls with her shoves.

“Excuse me! I’m sorry! Make way! I don’t know what’s happening to me! I’m not normally this strong!” she cried as she ran down the street, sending people flying through the air, overturning tables, chairs, and children.

She came out on another square. She doubled over, panting, putting her hands on her knees. She hated running. She thought it was the worst way someone could voluntarily abuse their body. She straightened up and blinked away tears. She tried to cover herself with what was left of the clothes she was wearing. She vaguely remembered trying to tear them off to see what the evil nurses had done to her.

When she felt she was sufficiently covered, she looked around, trying to get her bearings. She stood in a large, open square. People bustled about, laughing and talking. Some stopped to stare at her, pointing at her absurd choice of clothing. She turned around and gasped, nearly wetting herself at the sit in front of her: a gigantic, golden statue of Loki, the Asgardian terrorist that attacked New York, towered over the square. It stood as tall as the Empire State Building. His curved horns cast terrifying shadows on the ground around her. She shrieked.

People turned to look at her, staring at the half-naked girl, screaming in the newly dedicated garden square. Theo fled. A million thoughts and scenarios began rushing through her mind, none of them probable or even plausible. As she turned several corners down different streets and alleys, the best probable solution she could come to was that she had been in a coma for six years after Loki had conquered earth, enslaving humanity, and she had just woken up with superpowers.

Tripping over her own feet, she stumbled and fell. Before she could hit the ground, someone caught her. A massive, green hand gently lifted her back onto her feet. Her vision blurred. Her heart raced, skipping every other beat. She jumped and staggered back, looking up to see the Incredible Hulk standing in front of her. He cocked his head to one side and looked down at her.

“No, no,” she said, stepping back. “No. This can’t be real. It’s a dream. I have to wake up.” She shook her head wildly, trying to force herself to wake up but it only made her dizzy. The pain began to creep into her chest. Her throat felt like it was closing; she couldn’t get air.

“No dream,” the Hulk said, stepping towards her. She screamed and ran from him. “Wait, Naked Girl!” he shouted, chasing after her.

Theo ran back through the alleys and onto the streets, pushing through the crowd, throwing people out of the way. They flew to the sides, hitting the walls of the buildings and the pavement. Pounding footsteps chased after her. The vibrations shook the ground beneath her feet as she ran. She darted down an alleyway and came out on another street.

Suddenly, two crows divebombed her, pecking her head and pulling her hair and tattered clothes. They cawed at her and scratched her bare skin with their claws. Theo put her hands over her head and swatted at them, but they wouldn’t leave her alone.

“No, you rats! Go away! I don’t have anything!” she cried.

The people in the streets watched the poor, half-naked girl struggle as the birds attacked her. She swatted at one bird and caught it with the back of her hand. It flew backwards and hit the wall of a building, flopping pathetically to the ground. She tried to hit the other one, but the green giant rounded the corner and bounded towards her, arms outstretched.

“Naked Girl, come here. Hulk help!” he shouted but it only frightened her more.

He grabbed at her and the crows but missed, tearing away a piece of the silken bandage that covered Theo’s midriff. Stunned, Theo whipped around and backhanded the Hulk across the face. He staggered and fell to his hands and knees, still holding the torn cloth in his hand. He felt the spot on his face where she hit him and looked up at her. Anger boiled up from deep inside him as he slowly rose to his feet.

Theo cowered beneath him, unable to fathom how she had knocked the Incredible Hulk halfway to the ground. Flashes of memory darted before her eyes.

_An explosion, rubble flying into the air. A Chitauri vehicle flew overhead, closely chased by Iron Man. Bullets zipping past her head. The Hulk lifting a car and throwing it towards her_.

She blinked the memories away. Staggering backwards, reeling from her first flashback in months, she put up her hand in defense, covering herself with her other arm. The Hulk still carried the cloth in his clenched fist. He stomped towards her, ready to smash her into the pavement. A lump caught in Theo’s throat. She was frozen to the spot. A circle of onlookers was beginning to form around them.

“Someone call the guards!” a person shouted.

“Get out of there, girl!” another cried.

“What is that thing?”

“It’s a monster!”

“Stay back!”

Hulk was jolted away from Theo by the cries of the people around them. He snorted at them and let out a roar that shook the buildings nearest them. The people screamed and ran away in terror like scurrying mice from a barn cat. Satisfied that he had taken care of the mean people that called him a monster, he turned back to the mean, naked girl who had hit him but she had vanished.

Theo ran as fast as she could, tearing up through the streets. She had never run faster in her life. Tripping occasionally on her own bare feet or an uneven stone slate, she tried desperately to find a place to hide from her pursuer. Her feet began to hurt. The pain was beginning to seep back through her body, radiating from that spot on her chest.

Despite the pain, she found she was running for much longer than she ever had before; a new strength in her legs and lungs. Her strides were long and quick. Her head was on a constant swivel, looking for a place to hide. She ran across another open square and back into crowded narrow streets. Descending steps and turning corners, she thought the more turns and twists she could take, the faster she could lose the Hulk behind her.

She stopped. The world came to a screeching halt that sent her tumbling face-first into the cobbles. She was breathing hard from all the running. She made a mental note to never do it again. She propped herself up on one hand, covering herself with the other. A quick look around confirmed she was alone in the alleyway between two tall buildings.

There was no sign of the Hulk. She looked up at the small patch of sky above, between the towers. The little flying vehicles she had seen before were nowhere to be seen now. She listened carefully. There were no screams or sounds of explosions. No bullets or blaster sounds. No flying whales or spangled superheroes. All she could see and hear were the sounds of a bustling city. In the distance, she could hear the familiar din of voices speaking languages she did not know, the sound of foot traffic, vendors selling goods, the sounds of machines – though they sounded a bit strange to her.

“You’ve lost your mind,” she told herself. “Loki didn’t take over Manhattan or Earth, you moron. It wasn’t real. None of it was real! This is just a dream. You’re asleep!”

She pinched herself as hard as she could. The pain burned on her arm. Maybe it wasn’t a dream. Maybe it was real. Maybe she was hallucinating again; psychotic again. She made a sharp movement with her neck, turning her head as if she had been slapped by an invisible hand. She wrapped her arms around herself, as she came to the realization she had had another lapse in public.

“You didn’t see the Chitauri. You… You just saw… birds… or drones…? or one of Stark’s stupid demonstrations. Yeah, that’s probably it.” She nodded as she spoke to herself.

“I don’t know what the Hell that statue was. Some art demo maybe? Some sick artist,” she reasoned. She rubbed her arms hard, trying to force the goosebumps that had risen on her skin away.

“And that wasn’t the real Hulk. It was just one of those buskers from Times Square… the ones that dress up like the Avengers and take pictures with the tourists… You… You just freaked out and… and… oh, no… you hit someone…” she said, putting her face in her hands. “No, no, no! You idiot! You hit tons of people!” she suddenly remembered the shopkeeper and all the people in the streets.

“No, no. We gotta go home. You gotta take your meds and call your doctor. No one is gonna believe you. We can’t go back to jail. No, no, not again.” Her voice quivered with fear at the thought of the police and a jail cell.

Her whole body began to tremble. She stood. Her knees knocked together. Afraid to walk towards the sounds of the city, she turned to walk down the steps of the alleyway. She had no idea where she was. Nothing looked familiar. She was not even sure if this was Manhattan anymore. Holding onto the wall for stability, she slowly made her way down the large steps, hoping it would lead out to a quieter area that had not seen her outburst.

The steps ended, flattening out into a street. There were a few doorways on either side of the street, leading to dark shop entrances or bars or restaurants. She could smell food wafting down the street as she walked. She looked up. The buildings soared above her, taller than they ever were before. It made her dizzy. Looking back down at her bloody feet, she limped on, slowly. She could hear voices coming from somewhere further down the street. They were laughing and talking. Theo felt a sense of a calm wash over her. Perhaps she could ask someone for help.

She readjusted, making sure she was well covered and decent. She did not like the fact that her little, pudgy tummy was showing nor that her thighs were visible, save for her pineapple panties and the scraps of whatever silken robes she wore, nonetheless that both breasts were free if she did not keep them covered with her arm. As she fought with herself over what part of her body was most important to cover, her eyes fell heavy on the tattered remains of the garments she wore. Memories began to flash in front of her eyes again.

_A dark alley. She lay on the ground in a sobbing heap. Her dealer stood over her, zipping up his pants. Her clothes were ripped and torn. He tossed a dirty needle and a packet on the ground in front of her and laughed._

The laughter rang in her ears. She stumbled backwards, slamming into a wall as if she had been hit. Tears had filled her eyes. She wanted to go home. She needed her medicine. She needed to text her therapist. She needed to meditate. She needed to hug a puppy.

“Hello there, lass, are you alright?”

A large man walked towards her. She jumped and covered her breasts with her hands. She turned and faced him, gasping a little as tears still ran down her cheeks. He was bald with a great black beard and fat face with rosy cheeks. He wore very strange clothing. Brown robes with silver patterning. His accent was unknown to Theo but Manhattan was full of accents.

“Um, I—I don’t know where I am, sir. Can you help me? I’m looking for 81st Street. 81st and—”

“81st Street? Ha! What have you been drinking tonight, lovely?”

Theo took a step to the side, pressing up against the wall. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Oh, w—well, if you don’t know, that’s fine. I’ll just ask someone else. Thanks anyways.” She started to walk around him.

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, taking a step in front of her. “Why don’t you come inside and have a drink with me and my friends? You can ask them where this, uh, 81st Street is. See if they know.”

“Oh no, that’s alright. I, um, I really need to get home.” Her heart was racing. The man was looming over her now.

“Your accent’s a bit funny. I don’t know what tiny Realm you’re from, pretty lassie, but it’s rude to refuse an invitation to drink with an Asgardian, especially when you’re naked,” he laughed.

He put his hand on her shoulder and slammed her back against the wall, pushing her up against it with his body. She wanted to scream but her voice caught in her throat. Instead, her hand left flew up from her side and punched the man, full force, under his chin. He flew backwards, hitting the other wall so hard it left a massive hole where his head hit. Theo was gasping for breath, memories of her self defense classes flashing through her mind.

“What’s going on out here?” a man shouted, running out of a doorway beside Theo.

“He—He—He assaulted me!” she stammered. “I—I hit him to get him off of me but I didn’t mean to do that. I—” she trailed off, fearing she was admitting too much guilt over a man that clearly wanted to do her harm.

The second man ran to the first, checking to see if he was alive. More men started to walk out of the door, carrying giant mugs of yellow drink in their hands. A sickening feeling washed over Theo. These were the man’s friends he had mentioned. If they were anything like him, things did not bode well for Theo.

The fat man sat up with help from his friend. Blood ran from his lips into his beard. He spat out several bits of broken teeth onto the pavement and looked up at Theo. She turned to run but his ‘friends’ blocked her way. Five men encircled them. These men were practically giants, there was no way she would be able to fight them off. Her hand was still throbbing with the pain of hitting just one of them.

“You all can have what’s left of her,” the big man huffed as he stood. He rushed at her. Theo screamed, throwing a fist blindly. She stumbled backwards, slipping on a loose cobblestone. The man caught her arm and twisted it painfully behind her back. Her face was suddenly pressed up against the cold stone of the wall. She shoved back with all her might, sending them both careening backwards. Dizzied by the amount of strength she was displaying, she turned to see the other men closing in on her.

There was a sudden flash of green. Three men disappeared in the flash, leaving behind only guttural, blood-curdling screams and a single boot that had fallen off an unsuspecting foot. Silence fell over the fight. Theo took her chance to run but the big man caught her with the back of his hand, splaying her onto the ground. Stars flew before her eyes. The right side of her face went numb. She tasted blood but she was not sure where from. She had never been hit so hard before. She swayed deliriously on the ground for a moment before she heard another shriek from a man, followed by a gust of wind.

“What is this?” the fat man shouted. Now, only two of them remained.

Theo tried to get up but her head still spun from the blow. She lowered herself back down. As her elbow hit the pavement, the ground shook underneath her. She cried out, thinking for a moment something must have exploded or even that she had caused the ground to quake. She covered her head with her hands. Peeking out from beneath them, the Hulk towered over her.

Hulk glared at the two men hurting the naked girl. The took a few cautionary steps backwardss. He looked down at the naked girl, she was crying and bleeding. He gently stepped over her. She shrunk to the ground beneath him, cowering, trying to make herself as small as possible surrounded by the massive men. One man turned and tried to scamper away. Hulk took a single step forward and caught him in his fist. The man wriggled and writhed, squealing with fear. Hulk gave him a squeeze, turning his gaze to the big man. The man in his fist popped, writhing no more. The naked girl let out a yelp and hid her face. Tossing his body aside, Hulk turned his full attention to the big man.

Theo never knew what happened to that man. She didn’t want to. All she heard was a yelp, a rip of fabric, and what she feared was skin and bone, before she slammed her hands against her ears. Pulling herself to her feet, her eyes clamped shut, she ran in the opposite direction of whatever horrors the Hulk was performing to the big man’s corpse. After running some distance, she found the courage to open her eyes.

She came out of the dark alleys onto a sunny, bright street. The light blinded her for a moment, glaring off the golden buildings. She put her hand over her eyes. She heard caws overhead and looked up into the sun. For a brief moment, she saw the silhouettes of the two dive-bombing crows before she doubled over, baring her back to them so they did not peck at her face. They screeched and cawed at her, scratching her just as before. She looked up from the chaos to see three men with spears running towards her, shouting at her. In her panic, she swatted hard at the birds, making contact again with at least one of the feathery demons before fleeing back down the alleyway she had come.

She saw another alley to turn down and took a sharp left, then another, then a right. The network of alleys closes, and stairs were her only escape. She turned down a dark crevice between two buildings that dead-ended. Slumping down against the wall, she panted and cried. She sat there, rocking herself, trying to calm down. She pulled on her hair and dug her nails into her skin, chewing her lips and the insides of her cheeks. Her breath came in shuddering gasps. A sudden pain racked her body. She grabbed at its epicenter: a spot on her chest. She looked down. She could see a gaping wound down the middle of her chest in the dim light of the alley. Another flashback hit her like a brick wall.

_A figure in golden armor and curved horns stood at the helm of a fast-approaching Chitauri vehicle. Explosions billowed up on either side of the street. She had nowhere to go. Frozen to the spot in the middle of the street, she saw a flash of blue light and felt a searing pain in her chest._

“No, Naked Girl, no cry.”

Theo screamed. A giant hand covered her face, muffling her, smothering her. She flailed and clawed at the hand but it was no use.

“Shhhh, guards hear you,” Hulk said in his lowest possible voice. He peered around the corner. Heavy metal boots echoed on the pavement above them as the guards searched helplessly for the Midgardian girl in the endless maze of alleyways.

“I…Can’t…Breathe…” Theo squeaked, muffled beneath the Hulk’s giant paw.

“Oh, sorry, Naked Girl,” he said, letting go of her. “No scream.”

She gasped, coughing as fresh air filled her lungs. She took in a deep breath to scream again but Hulk made a move to cover her face. She froze, the scream caught in her windpipe. She quickly covered her mouth with her own hands. Hulk stared at her, sitting still with his hand raised, ready to smother her if she made more noise. Theo swallowed her scream and slowly tried to back away from Hulk.

“Naked Girl hurt,” Hulk said, pointing at Theo. She wasn’t quite sure what part of her he was referring to. She hurt all over: her face, her chest, her feet. “Hulk help.”

Theo glanced around. She shook her head. “Y-You’ve done enough. Th-Thank you,” she stammered, nodding at him.

He shook his head. “No, Hulk know safe place. Hulk take Naked Girl.”

“No! Hulk will not take Naked Gi-, what am I saying? I’m not going with you.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“NO! And that’s final,” she said, standing, trying to cover herself again. “I’m done with men telling me what to do.”

Hulk stood, making Theo scrunch up against the wall. “But Hulk want to help.”

“Please, just go away,” Theo cried, hugging the wall.

Hulk looked at the ground. He did not like seeing the Naked Girl cry. She slipped back down to her knees, collapsing onto the ground as she cried. Then, he remembered something. Digging in the pocket of his trousers, he pulled out the ripped piece of fabric he had torn from her bandages earlier. He felt its smoothness in his hands and then offered it to her.

Theo looked up at him and then at the cloth in his hand. She sniffled and gingerly took it from him. A smile spread across his face. She sat there a moment with the cloth in her hand.

“Oh,” Hulk said. “Hulk sorry.” He turned around to face the other way, putting his back to her.

Theo glanced towards the open alleyway; her only escape route now that his back was turned. Pushing herself up onto one knee, she tried to stand again but wobbled uncontrollably, still reeling from the blow she had received. She plopped back down onto her butt and sighed. There was no way she would be able to run anymore. Her legs felt like jelly and her feet were bleeding. She could taste blood in her mouth and her chest throbbed with an intense percussive pain. She gave in and took the cloth, tying it around her chest for some proper coverage at last.

“You—you can turn around now,” she said.

Hulk turned and saw she was decent. He grunted. “Good. Now, we go.”

“Go where? Where’s this safe place?”

“Outside city! Hulk knows way. Come on.” He stood and walked out into the adjacent alley.

Theo leapt up, sending her head spinning like a top. “Wait! Wait! We can’t go out there!” she said, trying to keep her voice down so he wouldn’t smother her again. She wobbled on her spaghetti legs, leaning on Hulk’s massive arm for balance. “Those cops are after me.”

“You? Ha! No cops. Guards,” he said slowly to her so she would understand. “Follow Hulk.”

Theo shook her head in despair. He turned down the alleyway and beckoned her to follow. She looked back towards the sound of the pounding metal boots. This dream kept sucking her back in; she did not know what reality to trust.

“Naked Girl coming?” Hulk asked as he walked.

Theo sighed, looking down at the ground. She didn’t have much of a choice. If she was stuck in this dream and Hulk was going to take her somewhere safe, maybe she would wake up there, she figured. She followed after him, down the alley steps.

“My name is Theo, by the way,” she said, sheepishly.

He grunted at her. She looked around awkwardly, the silence biting into her. As they descended the steps, they descended further into darkness. Despite it being broad daylight above, their position at the base and in between the massive buildings that towered all around them, shadowed the sun and left them in a state of semi-permanent twilight. Theo stayed close to Hulk, keeping her eyes on every dark door they passed, in case some other greasy, greedy men would step out to harass them.

Suddenly, Hulk stopped. Theo bumped into him. She quickly jumped back.

“I—I’m sorry,” she said.

He grunted again and knelt down, inspecting the ground. Theo glanced about, warier of the dark street they were on than whatever he was looking at. She looked up at the blue sky far, far above them. It seemed unfathomably far away. Looking straight up the buildings made her dizzy. She started to sway but Hulk steadied her. She flinched at his touch, taking a step to the side.

“Wh—What are you doing?” she asked, quietly.

He looked down at the ground again and brushed off a dirty manhole cover. It was massive; nearly ten feet in diameter. As Hulk rubbed away some of the grime, Theo could make out intricate knotwork in the metalwork of the cover. She had never seen anything like it. Not that she paid a whole lot of attention to the manhole covers of Manhattan but this one was simply huge. She thought she had seen knotwork like it before. Perhaps it was Celtic? No, she thought, it was more familiar.

_A book on her coffee table. Odin sipped his coffee. She sat down beside him and picked it up. Another Norse mythology book. Turning the page, it showed an image of an old manuscript with intricate knotwork. A triquetra, an ornate knotwork border around the page, and an intricately designed world tree made of knots._

Odin! She had forgotten all about Odin. Everything was fuzzy. She tried to remember back further but it was like trying to catch fish with her hands in murky water. She put her hands on her head and closed her eyes but nothing came to her. She groaned. Why couldn’t she have flashbacks to the things she wanted to remember?

Hulk stood, putting his fingers into a few holes on one edge of the cover and lifting it with terrifying ease. He pushed it aside and gestured for Theo to go down the hole beneath. She peered down into the blackness below. She thought it was dark in the alleyway but no light reached the bottom of the sewer drain. She looked up, glaring at the wall, trying to think of what correlations her subconscious was trying to point out about her life by having her literally end up in the gutter in her dreams.

“We’re going down a stinky, dirty sewer? That’s your safe place?” she asked Hulk, folding her arms.

“Not stinky! Little dirty,” he admitted. “But safe! No guards.”

“Ugh, well, I guess it doesn’t matter if this is just a dream,” she said, as she reluctantly climbed down. “I think.”


End file.
